Treating Skin Cancers with Curettage and Electrodessication

For mild, well-defined, and shallow skin cancers, curettage and electrodessication is a fast, in-office procedure. Sometimes called “scrape and burn,” this procedure is often used to treat superficial basal cell carcinomas, superficial squamous cell carcinomas (Bowen’s disease) or even some warts. The area to be treated is first numbed with a local anaesthetic, and then the doctor uses a sharp instrument called a curette to scrape away the growth. After scraping, the area is electrically cauterized, which burns away any remaining cancer cells. The process is typically repeated until only healthy cells remain. While quick and beneficial, the process is usually only used on skin cancers that have a low chance of spreading to other areas of the body. There may also be scarring after the procedure.