Sidney B. Smith, MD, FAAD the Pacific Northwest Skin Expert does a wide range of dermasurgery at Dermahealth Dermatology & Dermasurgery.

Dermasurgery encompasses a wide variety of procedures to remove or modify skin for patient's health or cosmetic benefit.

The skin is susceptible to many diseases, discolorations, and growths. It may also be damaged by excessive exposure to the sun and the effects of aging. In most cases, skin problems requiring dermasurgery can be taken care of in the Dermahealth Dermatology & Dermasurgery clinic, usually under local anesthesia, with minimal pain, and low risk of complications.

The Three Indications for Skin Surgery

1. Establish a definite diagnosis.
2. Remove benign and malignant skin growths that may interfere with the body's normal function, or may cause symptoms such as pain, itching, or bleeding.
3. Improve the skin's cosmetic appearance by removing growths, discolorations, or skin damage caused by aging, sunlight, or disease.

Treatment Options

Cosmetic

• Blepheroplasty
• Botox® & Dysport

  Hyperhydrosis and muscle spasms.

• Cosmetic Mole Removal
• Laser surgery

  Destroying skin growths or broken blood vessels by modifying tissue with powerful light waves. Dr. Smith is considered a laser expert. He traveled around the country treating laser procedures and others have traveled from around the world to learn from him. He does all his laser treatments at DermaCare. Please see our COSMETIC DERMATOLOGY PAGE for more detailed information.

• Dermal Fillers
• Photodynamic therapy (PDT)

  Applying Levulan Kerastick (aminolevulinic acid) to the skin and exposing the skin to a special light source (BLU-U). Commonly used for the treatment of pre-cancers (actinic keratosis) or acne.

  The short, 2-part treatment course is convenient and fits your lifestyle:

  • Low downtime*
  • No prescription to fill
  • No daily medication to remember
  • Excellent cosmetic response
  • No scarring reported to date

  *Patients treated with Levulan PDT should avoid exposure of the photosensitized lesions to sunlight or prolonged or intense light for at least 40 hours.

• Scar Revision
• Tumescent Liposuction

  Removing and recontouring the body of excess fat with little blood loss and exceptional safety.

Medically Indicated

• Biopsy (punch, shave, or snip)

  Surgically removing a piece of the skin for examination under the microscope for diagnosis after local anesthesia has been used. The specific surgical technique (punch, shave or snip) is determined by Dr. Smith at the time of the treatment.

• Botox® & Dysport

  Hyperhydrosis and muscle spasms.

• Cryosurgery

  Spraying liquid nitrogen (-196 C) onto the skin destroy the tissue. Commonly used to treat pre-cancers (actinic keratosis), verruca (warts), acrochordons (skin tags), and seborrheic keratosis (wisdom spots).

• Curettage and electrodesiccation

  Scraping away malignant or benign growths with a sharp surgical instrument called a curette after local anesthesia. A hyfrecator may be used to stop bleeding.

• Intralesional Injections
• Mohs micrographic controlled surgery

  This advanced technique was initially developed by Dr. Frederic E. Mohs, thus the name. The procedure involves removing a tumor and immediately examining the tissue under the microscope to determine the extent of malignant cells before more tissue is removed if necessary. While the procedure is time-consuming, it yields a very high cure rate (up to 99%). Because it conserves as much normal tissue as possible, it is known as a tissue sparing technique. Mohs is used for large or aggressive tumors and tumors located in areas of high risk for recurrence.

  The procedure is performed by specially trained dermasurgeons who have completed at least one additional year of fellowship training (in addition to the physician's one year internship and three-year dermatology residency) under the tutelage of a Mohs College member. Because there are no Fellowship trained Mohs Micrographic Surgeons in the Southeastern Washington, I generally refer my patients who need these services out to Spokane. For more information see www.mohscollege.com

• Photodynamic therapy (PDT)

  Applying Levulan Kerastick (aminolevulinic acid) to the skin and exposing the skin to a special light source (BLU-U). Commonly used for the treatment of pre-cancers (actinic keratosis) or acne.

  The short, 2-part treatment course is convenient and fits your lifestyle:

  • Low downtime*
  • No prescription to fill
  • No daily medication to remember
  • Excellent cosmetic response
  • No scarring reported to date

  *Patients treated with Levulan PDT should avoid exposure of the photosensitized lesions to sunlight or prolonged or intense light for at least 40 hours.

• Surgical excision / incision

  Surgically cutting into the skin down to the subcutaneous layer (fat) after local anesthesia, removing the lesion, and then closing the wound with stitches. This surgical procedure is commonly used to remove skin cancers (malignant melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma), cysts, moles, lipomas (fatty deposits), or any other skin growth or lesion.