When caught early on, all types of skin cancer are treatable and in most cases, curable. At Dr. Howard S. Goldberg's practice, we actively promote annual skin cancer screenings for the face and for the full body to detect possible skin cancer in the earliest and most treatable stages.

Call our office at 781.595.0151 to arrange your skin cancer screening.

Skin Protection

You can reduce your risk of skin cancer by minimizing your sun exposure and protecting your skin from ultraviolet rays. Wearing a broad brimmed hat (that goes all the way around), sun protective clothing and applying sun blocks are all helpful.

For patients with very fair skin, history of skin cancer or a sun-sensitive skin disease, we recommend the daily application of sun block:

• For patients with very fair skin, history of skin cancer or a sun sensitive skin disease we recommend the daily application of our SPF 100 PhotoDERM Max Sun block
• Those patients on a regular skin rejuvenation program are advised to apply daily Minusol SPF 30 sunblock which has a smooth, moisturizing base and goes well under make-up.l
• Acne patients require a non-comedogenic sunblock which isn’t greasy or sticky and for them we recommend Cetaphil SPF 50 sunblock

All the above mentioned sun blocks can be purchased at our office.

Skin Cancer — Pictures and Descriptions

The three most common forms of skin cancer are basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma.

Basal cell carcinoma usually develops in skin damaged by repeated severe sunburns. It almost always arises from previously normal sun exposed skin. It begins as a shiny pearly nodule which slowly enlarges. Frequently, the central portion breaks down to form an ulcer with a reddish-purple scab. These tumors usually remain fairly localized and rarely spread elsewhere.

Squamous cell carcinoma evolves very slowly through a premalignant stage known as a solar or actinic keratosis. Solar keratoses are superficial, tender, burning, red, scaling, crusted lesions which develop on sun exposed skin after many years of chronic sun damage. About 10% of these keratoses ultimately develop into frank squamous cell carcinoma. This is a red, scaling, crusted raised nodular lesion which may ulcerate centrally. Untreated, significant numbers of these lesions can metastasize to distant sites. Tumors on the lower lip and ears are at higher risk to spread.

Melanomas are brownish pigmented malignant skin tumors which can be very dangerous since they have a significant potential to spread if not treated. They arise from either pre-existing moles or normal skin, particularly after repeated severe sunburns. These tumors usually have at least one area with a very dark brown or bluish black color. Frequently there are variations of color ranging from browns and blacks to tans, reds, and even whitish shades. The tumors are usually larger than the back of a pencil eraser, are asymmetrical, and have irregular borders. Any pigmented “mole” which changes in any way should be evaluated by a trained health care professional.