Non-Surgical Skin Cancer Treatment, Melbourne
While surgical excision remains the most effective treatment for skin cancer, non-surgical options — photodynamic therapy (PDT), cryotherapy, diathermy and topical creams — are available at our Heatherton clinic and may suit you depending on the type, size and location of the lesion.
These treatments are generally used for solar keratoses (sun spots) and certain superficial skin cancers such as Bowen's disease and basal cell carcinoma. Which option is right for you depends on your specific diagnosis — Dr Poboran will discuss the most appropriate treatment during your consultation.
Available treatments
Liquid nitrogen cryotherapy is the primary treatment for solar keratoses in Australia. Most lesions are treated with a short freeze, lasting around two to five seconds.
Clears ~70% of treated solar keratosesPDT combines red light with a photosensitising cream (methyl aminolevulinate hydrochloride), applied to the treatment area before the light activates it to target the abnormal cells.
Efficacy around 80–85%A topical cream that has been used for over 30 years, typically applied twice a day for three weeks. Particularly suited to multiple solar keratoses, especially on the head and scalp.
A topical cream that works by stimulating the immune system's response to abnormal skin cells, offered as an alternative non-surgical option depending on the lesion being treated.
Why consider a non-surgical option?
Skin cancers have traditionally been treated with surgical excision, and it remains the most effective option overall. Over recent decades, though, non-surgical treatments have become a valuable alternative for suitable lesions — offering a way to treat the skin without a surgical procedure. Dr Poboran will always recommend the treatment most likely to give you the best outcome, based on the type and stage of the lesion found during your consultation.
Frequently asked questions
When is non-surgical skin cancer treatment suitable?
Non-surgical treatment is generally considered for superficial, well-defined lesions such as sun spots, solar keratoses and some superficial basal cell carcinomas. Invasive lesions and melanoma are treated surgically. Dr Poboran will tell you which category your lesion falls into.
What non-surgical treatments are available?
OzSkinScan offers photodynamic therapy (PDT), cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen, diathermy and topical therapies. The choice depends on the type of lesion, where it is, how large it is and how your skin is likely to heal.
Is non-surgical treatment as effective as surgery?
For carefully selected superficial lesions, non-surgical treatment can be highly effective and avoids a scar from an incision. For anything invasive, surgical excision remains the gold standard because it allows the tissue to be examined and the margins confirmed.
What is photodynamic therapy?
Photodynamic therapy combines a topical photosensitising cream with a specific wavelength of light. The cream is absorbed preferentially by abnormal cells, and the light then activates it to destroy them — which is why PDT can treat an area of sun damage with little effect on healthy skin.
Skin cancer checks across South East Melbourne
Our clinic at G07/12 Corporate Drive, Heatherton VIC 3202 is a short drive from the bayside and south eastern suburbs, and we regularly see patients from:
- Heatherton
- Moorabbin
- Highett
- Mentone
- Dingley Village
- Clayton South
- Oakleigh South
- Bentleigh East
- Clarinda
- Braeside
- Mordialloc
- Parkdale
- Springvale
- Keysborough
- Sandringham
- Beaumaris
Full body skin checks Skin cancer surgery Non-surgical treatment Meet Dr Poboran Get directions