Minor Skin Tumour Excision

Skin tumours occur due to an overgrowth of abnormal cells or multiple skin components on the skin's surface. They can often be harmless but, in some cases, can lead to melanoma. Dr Tinashe I Maphosa encourages patients to visit if they discover new or changing growths on the skin so he can biopsy the area and confirm the diagnosis.

What causes skin tumours?

Skin tumours result from cells that have multiplied and continue to grow disorderly. Typically, cells have a cycle of turnover where old ones die, and new ones form, but when this process is interrupted, it leads to rapid cell growth.

The leading cause of this is overexposure to UV rays from the sun. Skin tumours that turn cancerous are most commonly due to overexposure to UV rays from the sun. Other reasons you may develop skin tumours are:

Not all skin tumours are cause for concern, but you should always take the necessary precautions to ensure that you don't develop skin cancer.

What are the different types of skin tumours?

Three primary types of skin cancer cause tumours.

• Basal cell carcinoma: These tumours develop due to sun exposure and appear as waxy bumps, reappearing scabs or brown lesions.
• Squamous cell carcinoma: These tumours typically develop as red nodules or scaly lesions in sun-exposed areas.
• Melanoma: This is the most dangerous type of skin cancer and can occur anywhere on the body as large brown spots or moles that change over time.

Basal and squamous cells are the most common types of tumours and can be treated when caught early. Melanoma, however, is rarer but more deadly and requires early intervention.

Skin tumour treatment

After extensive assessment and a biopsy, Dr Maphosa will advise whether skin tumour removal is necessary. All skin tumours can be removed, whether dangerous or not, but it depends on the location and severity of the tumour.

Dr Maphosa provides several procedures to remove skin tumours:

• Surgical excision: Dr Maphosa removes the entire tumour, surrounding skin and fatty deposits using a scalpel.
• Cryotherapy: Dr Maphosa applies liquid nitrogen to the tumour so that it freezes, blisters and falls off naturally.
• Curettage: Dr Maphosa scrapes away the top layers of the cancerous tissue and then uses electrosurgery to burn the remaining cells, causing them to die.