Friday , March 29 2024

TREATING THE SKIN CANCER EPIDEMIC

By The Skin Cancer Center of Central Florida
TREATING THE SKIN CANCER EPIDEMICWe are daily bombarded with news of whooping cough making a reappearance and the fierce influenza outbreak. But are you aware that 1out of every 5 Americans will get a disease that could be deadly and disfiguring? This disease strikes people as young as 16.   Unfortunately there is no vaccine for this disease, but the good news is that a well trained eye can SEE this disease and treat it at an early stage.
This is what THE SKIN CANCER CENTER OF CENTRAL FLORIDA is all about.
Facts
– Over 3 million cases of Basal Cell and Squamous Cell Carcinoma are diagnosed every year.  A number that is rapidly growing in men over the age of 40.
– Sunlight is now considered a carcinogen according to the World Health Organization. It is considered as dangerous as asbestos and tobacco.
– There is no safe amount of sun exposure.
– A tan is the body’s response to injury. A tan is never a good thing!
– Sunscreens and sun protective clothing help prevent skin cancer.
– The average age for a person with melanoma is 37!
– Sun exposure and a family history of melanoma increase your risk of getting this potentially deadly disease.
– If a melanoma is detected in an early stage and treated properly, the cure rate is very good. A delayed diagnosis can have fatal consequences.
– The term malignant melanoma is a misnomer – all melanomas are cancerous!
Mary Barber MD went to medical school at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and completed her residency at Wilford Hall Medical Center in Lackland AFB San Antonio TX.  She has been a board certified dermatologist since 1988.   After serving her country in the US Air Force as a dermatologist, she moved to Ocala in 1993. Her mentor and fellow dermatologist at Carswell Air Force Base in Ft Worth was Daniel Ingraham, DO. At the age of 37 he developed a mole on the back of his thigh which was a melanoma. He did well for many years but died at age 50, leaving behind his wife and 6 children.
Dr. Barber decided to limit her practice to the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer. She met the stringent requirements of the American Society of Mohs Surgeons and became a Fellow in 1995. She has performed over 50,000 surgeries for skin cancer removal, 15,000 of those cases required Mohs Micrographic surgery. Until now she has based her surgical practice mainly in Ocala with a branch office in the Villages that allows for examination, diagnosis, and some treatment of the many skin cancers. Because the Villages population has grown to 40% of our total patients and now Dr. Barber’s 5 children are also grown, the decision was made to expand our office in the Village area. We are proud to announce that we will be opening a surgery office in the Village area in the summer of 2013.
This will allow us to offer Mohs micrographic surgery to our patients in The Villages area.  This is a technique that is reserved for skin cancer in cosmetically important areas such as the face, ears, hands, and feet. It is also used for tumors that have an aggressive pathology (“deep roots”).
After successfully removing the cancer using the Mohs technique, Dr. Barber can close the defect using plastic surgery techniques. The result is a cure rate of 95- 99% with a very nice cosmetic result. This procedure is in an outpatient setting with an on- site laboratory for processing the skin specimens. This helps to keep down the cost of delivering health care. Her surgical nurse Theresa Hrobuchak, CNOR has been with Dr Barber for 20 years and is a national speaker for the Dermatology Nurses Association. She also coordinates the skin cancer treatment care with Moffitt Cancer Center and local plastic and Ear Nose and Throat surgeons if it is needed.
Our motto is “Experience Makes the Difference”. Dr Barber does all the skin cancer surgeries and often will see patients that have a biopsy proven cancer. Her staff of Robert Corwin MD, Mary Jane Oates, ARNP, and Theresa Saleh, PA-C have decades of experience in examining and diagnosing patients. They are all proficient in using dermascopy. The dermascope is a hand held device that magnifies the questionable lesion 4X the naked eye. This allows the skin cancer expert to decide whether or not to biopsy a suspicious lesion.
We, at The Skin Cancer Center of Central Florida, strongly urge everyone to have a total body skin exam. This epidemic affects you.  If you would like a second opinion, we are happy to see you. We take care of skin cancer – only skin cancer.  Don’t you deserve the best skin exam? Don’t you deserve the best treatment for your skin cancer?
About Dr Barber
Dr. Mary F. Barber has performed over 15,000 Mohs procedures. She limits her practice to the treatment of proven skin cancer patients. New patients who need skin checks are welcomed at the Skin Cancer Center and should make an appointment to see Dr. Corwin, Nurse Practitioner Mary Jane Oates, or Physician Assistant Theresa Saleh. No referral is needed.
Professional
– College – Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia; Summa Cum Laude
– Medical School – Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, PA 1980-1984
– Dermatology Residency- Wilford Hall Medical Center Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, TX; Board Certified in 1988
– 9 Years Active Duty Air Force with Honorable Discharge at the rank of Major in 1993
– 1994 – Founded Ocala Dermatology and Skin Cancer Center
– 1995 – Passed certifying exam in Mohs Micrographic Surgery by the American Society of Mohs Surgeons
– Currently performing over 1000 Mohs cases per year
– 2001 – Relinquished position at Ocala Dermatology and Skin Cancer Center to establish the Skin Cancer Center of Central Florida, to better serve the needs of patients with skin cancer.
Skin Cancer Center of Central Florida
352-259-6553
www.skincancersurgery.net

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