Treating Oral & Facial Skin Cancer

Meeting Dual Needs

Our face is a highly significant yet vulnerable part of our body, which is often exposed to skin cancer causing rays from the sun.

Complete removal of tumorous tissue must be the goal in oral & facial skin cancer management but there is a further need. Cosmetic and functional outcomes are more vital in this area than anywhere else.

Good solutions minimise psychological effects and maintain normal life. They should be integral to diagnosis, planning and treatment, for a condition which is quite prevalent.

The Primary Issues

Melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer can appear on the face, scalp, ears, or neck. This has a capacity to spread to other areas and may be fatal if untreated, although is a less common form of skin cancer.

Non melanoma skin cancers are the most often seen cancer in the UK and the face is a primary area for them to appear. Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is most often found, with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) next in line.

BCCs rarely spread to other parts of the body, although they can damage nearby tissue structures. SCCs tend to be more aggresive, with a 5% chance of invading lymph nodes and a higher tendency to spread locally.

Oral cancers are more often SCCs, on the tongue, lips, gums, inside your cheeks, or on the roof of your mouth. Other types such as melanoma can also occur, along with tumours in nearby areas.

They can develop in the glands that produce saliva, the tonsils at the back of the mouth and the part of the throat connecting your mouth to your windpipe (pharynx). However, these are less common.

All types of skin cancer do share one trait, they benefit from early intervention. This is important in helping to preserve facial structure and improving outcomes.

Seeking Immediate Care

High quality care, diagnosis and treatment are key to success, for all types of skin cancer. We should still note that however good the support is, the stage a cancer has reached is a significant factor.

Swift intervention offers close to 100% cure rates, even for more serious skin cancers. At the final stages of conditions such as malignant melanoma, 5 year survival rates can fall to around 30%.

Promptness also helps with another aspect which matters in facial skin cancer, the best cosmetic results. Underlying tissue can remain intact, reducing the need to transplant areas and allowing natural healing.

Treatment At Our Clinic

Dedicated maxillofacial centres such as our London clinic have the skills to rebuild in a remarkable way but all the better if we do not have to. Time and expense are saved, your long term health will benefit.

If you find a skin issue on your face, neck, or scalp which is unexplained, please arrange to visit a specialist. In many cases, they can put your mind at ease, or arrange prompt skin cancer treatment where needed.

Treating oral cancers is a specialist task, with the complex functions this area manages. Facial skin cancers require equal support, to meet aesthetic and practical goals.

Our team will offer in depth care and as importantly, listen to you. Treating such key aspects of your body deserves complete understanding.