The Derma Associats dermatological surgery team uses the most complex and advanced surgical techniques. The innovative facilities at the Centro Médico Teknon mean the surgeries can be performed either as an outpatient local surgery (with or without a day spent in hospital) or as a general surgery with hospitalization (Centro Médico Teknon).

The main indications for surgical treatment in dermatology include the removal of anti-aesthetic benign lesions and of malign or potentially malign lesions.

Surgical removal is the recommended technique for malign tumors, as long as it is feasible. Surgery permits the analysis of the margins to find out whether there any cancerous cells remaining in the surrounding area. Some tumors, such as melanoma, have a tendency to spread beyond the original lesion. In these cases, the depth of the tumor determines the margins for surgery and the neighboring glands are often analyzed in order to detect any possible propagation.

Skin cancer is the most frequent form of the disease nowadays and its presence among the light skinned population is evidently rising.

Although the different types of skin cancer manifest in different ways, any lesion (a wound, lump, scab, scar, freckle, mole, etc.) which is new, changes in appearance, bleeds without any apparent cause or does not heal properly should be monitored by your dermatologist. Pain is not a symptom as skin cancer is rarely painful.

Despite the high occurrence of skin cancer, if a lesion appears on your skin or changes in appearance, it is probably NOT cancerous. However, if you have a lesion you really think might be skin cancer, do not hesitate to consult your doctor or dermatologist. Precise diagnosis is painless and relatively easy. Remember that early diagnosis in these cases represents a greater chance of it being cured.

Treatments vary greatly depending on the conditions of each patient in particular and of course on the type of tumor, its location and size. Derma Associats coordinates and forms part of the Skin Cancer Unit at the Instituto Oncológico Teknon. Complex patients are discussed at regular meetings of the Skin Cancer Committee to respond to any specific needs that require joint decisions.

Also known as micrographic surgery, Mohs surgery is an advanced surgical technique to treat skin cancer. It consists of removing a tumor in stages and analyzing the tumor margins under a microscope during the surgical process, thereby removing the tumor completely while respecting the surrounding healthy skin to the utmost.

Tumors removed using this technique have higher cure rates than traditional procedures. Due to its sophistication, it is not the appropriate technique for all skin cancers; it is reserved for specific cases with particular indications. Given that the procedure encompasses different disciplines, Mohs surgery must be performed by a specialized team. Even though the procedure was developed by Dr F. Mohs at the University of Wisconsin (USA) more than 80 years ago, its complexity means that even today it is performed in very few centers in Spain. Derma Associats has been performing Mohs surgery since our foundation and the procedure has been performed in our center in more than 1,300 cases.

This relatively new treatment is used to treat pre-cancerous skin lesions and surface cutaneous carcinomas such as surface basal cell carcinomas or squamous cell carcinoma in situ (also known as Bowen’s disease).

It consists of using a special light to illuminate the area of the skin to be treated after applying a cream with specific properties to mark malign cells. The cream must be applied approximately 2 to 3 hours before the illumination so that the cream penetrates the altered cells. The light selectively destroys the cancerous cells (loaded with the cream) without damaging the healthy cells.

This type of treatment is especially suitable when there is more than one lesion on the same part of the body or when the lesion is very large, as conventional surgery would cause significant destruction. It is also used as a preventive method for large areas in which skin cancer could appear. The cosmetic results are far superior to the traditional destructive methods and it is therefore a good option for aesthetic areas.

Cryotherapy is a destructive dermatological treatment which is usually performed in the consultancy itself. It involves eliminating certain surface cutaneous lesions by directly applying liquid nitrogen. Freezing can also be used as a topical anesthetic (cryoanesthesia) to take samples for superficial cutaneous biopsies. This method allows tissue to be obtained without any bleeding occurring during a brief period of time.