SKIN TUMORS 

NEVUS 

The masses, which are popularly called “nevus”, are millimetric masses that can appear anywhere on the body or are congenital, raised from the skin or in the same color as the skin or in a different color.

Nevus can be named according to the skin layer, color or the cells they contain; such as epidermal nevi, melanocytic nevus, blue nevus, nevus of ota. Nevi are usually benign formations. Rarely, they can turn into worsening in old age. In general, it is recommended to remove nevus with signs of worsening such as an increase in the size of the nevus, change in color, irregularity in its borders, bleeding ulceration on it. 

If unproblematic nevi are visually disturbing to the patient, it is recommended to be removed if they are in a place exposed to constant trauma such as beard area, belt, bra area, scalp. 

Nevi cautery can be burned, frozen, lasers taken, surgically removed. Which method to use is decided according to the nature of the nevus, its location and size. Surgical removal is a short procedure. After removal of the nevus, tissue integrity is ensured with appropriate sutures, and an appropriate repair is performed, aiming to leave an indistinct scar behind. After the removal of the nevus, the person can return to his work and social life immediately, and the recovery is short-term in these procedures, which are applied for a short time on an outpatient basis.

BASAL CELL CANCER

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It is a skin tumor that originates from the cells of the base of the skin and has a slow spread and growth potential. It generally occurs over the age of 40, and is more common in women and fair-skinned people. Especially in the face area exposed to the sun and most often   occurs in the nose. It can be like a crusty wound that is raised from the skin and present as an ulcerated bleeding mass. It grows slowly over the years and begins to affect the surrounding tissues. It is completely curable with surgical removal. An intact area of approximately 1 cm around the tumor is also removed during surgery to prevent recurrence. Tumors removed from the face can be repaired with tissue flaps prepared from the surrounding tissues or with grafts called skin patches. Although it is classified as cancer, basal cell cancer progresses as a relatively benign formation.

FLAT CELL CANCER 

It is a type of skin cancer that occurs especially around the lips in the face area. Smoking triggers the emergence. Squamous cell cancer grows slowly, but it has the potential to spread to surrounding tissues. It can spread especially to lymph nodes in the neck, lungs, and brain. Non-healing wounds on and around the lip may be a precursor for squamous cell cancer. For this reason, a biopsy should be taken from a lesion that occurs in this way, and if squamous cell cancer findings are detected, treatment should be started immediately. Surgical removal of the tumor and repair of the tissue loss with surrounding tissues is required. If there is spread to the neck lymph nodes, neck dissection may be required or radiotherapy can be applied to the neck. 

MALIGN MELANOM 

The most feared type of skin tumors is malignant melanoma. In general, it is a life-threatening tumor that spreads rapidly to the internal organs. It is rare but very aggressive. It usually appears as dark moles in middle-aged individuals. It is mostly seen on the face, but it can occur anywhere in the body, especially on the nails, soles of the feet, and the nervous system mucosa. In the treatment, it is necessary to remove the tumor with 5 cm of healthy tissue around it and repair the tissue loss with plastic surgery methods. The lymph nodes are controlled with special methods and if necessary, they are removed in surgery. Afterwards, additional treatments may be required depending on organ involvement and lymph node spread.  Although malignant melanoma is classified in different ways, the most important criterion in life expectancy is the depth of the tumor. 

If you have complaints about skin lesions, apply to the nearest plastic surgeon or dermatologist. As in all cancers, early diagnosis is very important in skin tumors.