Most of the removal, or excision, of a melanoma is the first thing done to begin treating the cancer. Often this can be done in your physician's office with local anesthesia causing little scarring. If the melanoma is larger and requires more extensive surgery, a better cosmetic appearance can be obtained with flaps made from skin that is near the tumor, or with grafts of skin taken from another part of your body. For grafting, the skin is removed from areas that are normally or easily covered with clothing.
Today, surgeons are removing less of the healthy skin around the tumor. Based on new guidelines from the National Institutes of Health, the margins, which are the borders of the entire area to be removed, are much narrower.
Most of the removal, or excision, of a melanoma is the first thing
done to begin treating the cancer. Often this can be done in your
physician's office with local anesthesia causing little scarring.
If the melanoma is larger and requires...
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Aurora Health Care answered:Most of the removal, or excision, of a melanoma is the first thing done to begin treating the cancer. Often this can be done in your physician's office with local anesthesia causing little scarring. If the melanoma is larger and requires more extensive surgery, a better cosmetic appearance can be obtained with flaps made from skin that is near the tumor, or with grafts of skin taken from another part of your body. For grafting, the skin is removed from areas that are normally or easily covered with clothing.
