Melanoma Detection & Treatment in Sellersville & New Hope
Careful skin checks, prompt answers, and follow-up you can count on.
Melanoma is less common than basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma, but it is more likely to spread, which makes early detection especially important. When melanoma is found early, it is highly treatable.
Led by board-certified dermatologist Dr. Daniel I. Shrager, our team evaluates new and changing spots, performs biopsies when something needs a closer look, and guides you through treatment and follow-up at our offices in Sellersville and New Hope.
Warning signs to watch for
Melanoma often shows up as a new spot or a mole that changes. The ABCDEs can help you decide what to point out:
Asymmetry: one half doesn’t match the other.
Border: edges that are irregular, ragged, or blurred.
Color: several shades of brown or black, or areas of red, white, or blue.
Diameter: larger than about 6 mm, the size of a pencil eraser — though melanomas can be smaller.
Evolving: any change in size, shape, color, or height, or new itching, crusting, or bleeding.
Also look for an “ugly duckling” — a spot that looks different from your other moles — and for a new dark streak in a fingernail or toenail. Melanoma can develop anywhere, including the scalp, palms, soles, and skin that rarely sees the sun.
Who should have regular skin checks
Your risk is higher if you have had blistering sunburns or used tanning beds, have fair skin that burns easily, have many moles or atypical (dysplastic) moles, have a weakened immune system, or have a personal or family history of melanoma. We recommend a skin-check schedule based on your history and risk.
How melanoma is diagnosed
During a full-body skin exam, we check your skin from scalp to toes and take a closer look at any spot that stands out. If a spot looks suspicious, we remove a sample in the office — a quick biopsy done with local anesthetic — and send it to a lab for examination under the microscope.
If the biopsy shows melanoma, the pathology report describes its thickness (Breslow depth) and other features that help determine its stage and the right treatment. We review the results with you and explain what they mean.
Treatment options
Most early melanomas are treated with surgical excision, which removes the melanoma along with a margin of normal-appearing skin. The size of the margin depends on the melanoma’s thickness.
For some melanomas in situ on the face or other sensitive areas, Mohs surgery or staged excision may be recommended. When Mohs is the best choice, we coordinate care with experienced Mohs surgeons in Bucks and Montgomery Counties.
Thicker melanomas may need additional staging, such as a sentinel lymph node biopsy, and care from surgical and medical oncology specialists. In those cases, we coordinate your referral and continue to see you for skin checks.
Non-surgical options such as electronic brachytherapy and superficial radiotherapy are used mainly for basal cell and squamous cell skin cancers. For melanoma, surgery is the standard treatment.
Life after melanoma
People who have had one melanoma have a higher chance of developing another, so regular full-body skin exams matter. We set a follow-up schedule based on your stage and history and show you how to check your own skin between visits. Your parents, siblings, and children may also benefit from a skin check.
Worried about a spot?
Don’t wait for your next routine visit if a mole is new, changing, or looks different from the others. Schedule an evaluation in Sellersville or New Hope.
Prefer to call? Sellersville: (215) 257-0196 · New Hope: (215) 862-6000.