Electrodesiccation and Curettage (ED&C)
Electrodessications and Currettage (ED&C) Procedures are in-office procedures that usually take about 15 minutes.
They are usually used for Basal and Squamous Cell Cancers that are only on the surface of the skin since all we are doing is scraping the top of the skin off in this procedure. Therefore, if a cancer has depth, this procedure might not be sufficient to adequately treat it.
We do numb the area locally (like what was done with the biopsy), scrape the top portion of cancerous skin off, and heat seal the area with an electrical device. We continue this process until we have the feel that we are through the cancer. Cancers come out like the bruised part of an apple due to how quickly they grow. Therefore, when we feel like we are scraping solid tissue (healthy tissue), we stop. This is a fairly subjective way of treating cancers as it relies off a “feel” instead of looking at it under the microscope to get a better idea of whether the cancer was adequately removed or not.
Vaseline is applied to the wound and then a bandage. You keep the area moist with Vaseline and covered with a bandage until the area has healed. The resulting scar often is oval or circular and can look similar to a cigarette burn.
