Skin Cancer Doctor/Specialist

[egg]

this has probably been done to death , but in searching l cant find much ,,,

l need to get a few skin problems checked out ,,, does anyone know of a capable doctor in the Udon Thani area or further afield that knows a little about skin cancer and could recommend a course of action ,,,,,,,,,,,, any help is very much appreciated

thanks egg

[lopburi3]

Most hospital dermatologists will have a fair knowledge but perhaps those treating elderly will be more helpful. Do not believe many specialize in cancer as that is discovered in normal skin exam/pathology. It will also make a difference if treatment is for a Thai or foreign skin as suspect few without foreign experience will be confident (all the more reason to check if any suspicions). If questionable and they suggest a biopsy do it (in my case several Doctors were 99% sure were not; were - it is a small price to pay).

Do see Doctor as most such things can be easily and painlessly removed but as time progresses so does the damage/danger.

[egg]

Most hospital dermatologists will have a fair knowledge but perhaps those treating elderly will be more helpful. Do not believe many specialize in cancer as that is discovered in normal skin exam/pathology. It will also make a difference if treatment is for a Thai or foreign skin as suspect few without foreign experience will be confident (all the more reason to check if any suspicions). If questionable and they suggest a biopsy do it (in my case several Doctors were 99% sure were not; were - it is a small price to pay).

Do see Doctor as most such things can be easily and painlessly removed but as time progresses so does the damage/danger.

thanks for that Lop ,,,,l have had a few problems removed in the past ,, but nothing for the last 6 years and its about time things got checked out ,,,l will head for AEK at Udon and take it from there .

cheers egg

[Sheryl]

Skin cancer is rare in Thais and you are unlikely to find a doctor upcountry who is skkilled at its detection.

Even in Bangkok, it takes some doing. You need a doc who both trained and practiced some time in the west and thus has experience assessing lesions on western skin which included the various skin malignancies.

I have been happy with Dr. Parichart at St. Louis Hospital, UK trained.

http://www.saintlouis.or.th/clinic/doctor.php?dr_id=214

Other TV members have reported favorably on Dr. Niyom at Bumrungrad, US trained and a professor at Siriraj

Dr. Niyom Tantikun

Specialty: Dermatology (Skin) - Laser Surgery

Language: Spoken: English,Teo Chew,Thai

Qualifications: Medical School:

- M.D., Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, 1984

Board Certifications:

- Diploma of The Thai Board of Dermatology, 1990

Fellowships:

- Laser in Dermatology, University of California, USA, 1993

- Mohs Micrographic Surgery, American College of Mohs Micrographic Surgery, USA, 1995

Academic Rank: Associate Professor, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Thailand

Special Clinical Interests:

- Laser Surgery, Dermatologic Surgery

Day Time Location

Mon 09:00 - 14:00 Skin Center

Tue 09:00 - 15:00 Skin Center

Wed 09:00 - 15:00 Skin Center

Thu 09:00 - 15:00 Skin Center

Fri 09:00 - 15:00 Skin Center

Sat 09:00 - 16:00 Skin Center

[jeebusjones]

I had a worrisome mole removed from my back a few years ago at Bangkok Christian hospital on Silom Road. Perhaps I was lucky, but the GP I ended up seeing had worked in Florida for years so was highly familiar with skin cancer. He suspected that my particular mole was not cancerous but agreed I should have it removed and tested just in case - it was benign, thankfully. But all around professional service and very knowledgeable doctor.

[Sheryl]

I had a worrisome mole removed from my back a few years ago at Bangkok Christian hospital on Silom Road. Perhaps I was lucky, but the GP I ended up seeing had worked in Florida for years so was highly familiar with skin cancer. He suspected that my particular mole was not cancerous but agreed I should have it removed and tested just in case - it was benign, thankfully. But all around professional service and very knowledgeable doctor.

do you know his name? would be useful.

[egg]

I had a worrisome mole removed from my back a few years ago at Bangkok Christian hospital on Silom Road. Perhaps I was lucky, but the GP I ended up seeing had worked in Florida for years so was highly familiar with skin cancer. He suspected that my particular mole was not cancerous but agreed I should have it removed and tested just in case - it was benign, thankfully. But all around professional service and very knowledgeable doctor.

do you know his name? would be useful.

Lop ,Sheryl and Jeebusjones ,,, thanks for the info ,,, l have a couple of problems on my nose , had a skin graft done a few years ago and now a couple of scabby looking things are coming back (not in the grafted area),,, l would like to find someone here that knows a little more about it than me ,,,, then l can decide what to do ,, operate here or go back to Aus ,,,, its cheaper for me here if l can find someone in a government hospital ,, but then the professional competence might be lacking ,,,, l was a bit surprised to find that the Cancer Centre at Udon Thani had no-one that could even give an opinion ,,,,, l will keep plodding along ,,, AEK Udon next week ,, that is if they have a dermatologist ,,, thanks for the help

cheers egg

[lopburi3]

AFAIK there is no equipment in Thailand to make a good determination by sight so biopsy scrape has to be done. My doctor, thinking I traveled (being foreign) suggested having exam in western country where there is now microscopic viewing ability available (not sure of medical name). But for your nose a simple razor sample should be enough to make the decision. I had BCC on my nose a few years ago and had to have surgically removed. Biopsy is about 1,000 baht or less and not that invasive so worth it in my opinion. If you think it should be checked have them do so even if they are not sure it needs checking. As said most do not suspect cancer here.

[egg]

AFAIK there is no equipment in Thailand to make a good determination by sight so biopsy scrape has to be done. My doctor, thinking I traveled (being foreign) suggested having exam in western country where there is now microscopic viewing ability available (not sure of medical name). But for your nose a simple razor sample should be enough to make the decision. I had BCC on my nose a few years ago and had to have surgically removed. Biopsy is about 1,000 baht or less and not that invasive so worth it in my opinion. If you think it should be checked have them do so even if they are not sure it needs checking. As said most do not suspect cancer here.

l dont spend enough time on the computer ,,, it took me half an hour to figure out what "AFAIK" meant ,,, now that l have solved that major issue l think you answered one of my questions and that was ,,, how much has to be removed to get a biopsy done ? ,, there is not a lot of skin there to be going to deep , so a shaving would be great ,, in the past l have had things cut from my arms , face , ears , etc ,,, and the couple that l have been able to see (these have been cut out then the biopsy done , and came back cancerous) , have gone in rather deep and l was thinking , if they do that on my nose there is only going to be a hole left ,, which is all that is needed anyway l suppose ,,,, OK ,, off to get a biopsy done asap (next week ,, l work by Thai time now),,,,

cheers Lop thanks again

egg

[Chinavet]

Dr Ann at Bangkok General in Pattaya. I have used her for +/- 15 years. She was a dermatologist in USA for many years. Excellent hospital facilities.

[jeebusjones]

do you know his name? would be useful.

I'm afraid I don't remember since it was a few years ago, but I've routinely gone to Bangkok Christian for medical care and always been impressed.

[Spaniel]

I recently (7 Jan) had to have surgery to remove basal cell carcinoma growth under my right eye. I had a sore that wouldn't heal and foolishly I didn't have it looked at when I first noticed it months ago. I went to Bumrungrad Hospital and the dermatologist (Dr.Supanee) did a biopsiy and refered me to the plastic surgeon, (Dr. Termsak) who did the operation, which took about 1 hour and fifteen min. All this costs around B54,000, so the moral of the story is to catch it early and it can be removed in a few min at a fraction of the costs.

[lopburi3]

Actually BCC normally grows very slowly and expect it was not that much larger in area than when you first started to notice it so not sure it would have been that different in treatment or costs (at the same facility).

But being alert to non healing sore is a very valuable tip. Both of my BCC on face were the same - small spot but not healing in a normal scratch time or coming back and both were surgely removed.

[ajahnlau]

Have had about 6 BCC removed on face, arm and leg. All about 6-7000bht. Private hospital in Phitsanulok.

[egg]

just a follow up to the original post,,

l went to AEK Udon Thanni ,, there l saw a plastic surgeon ,, a Dr Mongkol(l hope the spelling is correct),,,, he seemed to know a little about skin cancers ,, but l got the impression he was just thinking about a quick and expensive bit of work ,,,anyway ,, he cut a piece of my nose out and sent it off ,, it came back as BCC ,,, 6500Bt for maybe 15 minutes of his time ,all up ,,,,now he wants me back on Sunday to cut the rest out and graft some skin ,, an hour as an outpatient and l can go home (another bit of quick,expensive work),,,, ,,,,, the last time l had a graft on my nose l was put under and in for the day ,,,, am starting to crap myself thinking about this ,, l will get a bit more info before the due date ,,, l figure 4 times his time ,, it should be about 26,000Bt ,, in my dreams,,,,,, its a good hospital for this area and the price will probably be a bit over the top but fair enough ,,,, maybe someone is interested in ,(1) the Drs name ,,, (2) ,,, the cost ,,, (3) ,,, what procedure he uses ,,, and (4) if l live or die ,, thats the bit l am interested in ,, even if you lot aren't ,,,,,,,,,,,

all going well ,, l will follow up again ,,

cheers

[lopburi3]

I had nose job done for same BCC reason about 8 years ago - done in full surgery room but only local shot and no pain. Did not have to graft skin (sometimes helps to be overweight) but it was very close.

Last month had SCC wide margin on arm and small on leg removed in full operating room at major private hospital in Bangkok and fixed price was 25k with plastic surgeon so expect you are about right on price. My last biopsy and narrow margin removal was fixed price of 7k - hopefully they got it all as margins were clear.

[Spaniel]

just a follow up to the original post,,

l went to AEK Udon Thanni ,, there l saw a plastic surgeon ,, a Dr Mongkol(l hope the spelling is correct),,,, he seemed to know a little about skin cancers ,, but l got the impression he was just thinking about a quick and expensive bit of work ,,,anyway ,, he cut a piece of my nose out and sent it off ,, it came back as BCC ,,, 6500Bt for maybe 15 minutes of his time ,all up ,,,,now he wants me back on Sunday to cut the rest out and graft some skin ,, an hour as an outpatient and l can go home (another bit of quick,expensive work),,,, ,,,,, the last time l had a graft on my nose l was put under and in for the day ,,,, am starting to crap myself thinking about this ,, l will get a bit more info before the due date ,,, l figure 4 times his time ,, it should be about 26,000Bt ,, in my dreams,,,,,, its a good hospital for this area and the price will probably be a bit over the top but fair enough ,,,, maybe someone is interested in ,(1) the Drs name ,,, (2) ,,, the cost ,,, (3) ,,, what procedure he uses ,,, and (4) if l live or die ,, thats the bit l am interested in ,, even if you lot aren't ,,,,,,,,,,,

all going well ,, l will follow up again ,,

cheers

Sounds like your problem is pretty similar to mine. See my earlier post above. I had the biopsy at Bumrugrad which costs B10,000 then returned a week later to see the plastic surgeon. After the initial visit he scheduled the operation for a week later. I got to the hospital at 9am to see the doctor then the operation was 1 pm. They did some pre-op prep which lasted about 1 hour or so then after the operation which lasted aoout 1 hour 15 min they wheel me into the recovery room where you relax for about an hour. So from 9 am until I left the hospital around 4 pm I was there for most of the day. I did file a claim with BUPA and they reimbursed me for B40,000 so I was only out of pocket around B15,000. So if you have insurance they may cover some of the bills. Good luck.

[egg]

l think because l already have a graft on my snout he reckons he could do a bit of artistic work , sort of mosaic or maybe he wants to compare his work with the guy back in Aus ,,,,, l had a biopsy done on a piece of my arm about 3 weeks ago ,, came back as Acintic Keratosis(spelling??) , pre cancerous ,,, 1500Bt all up ,,, l can handle that ,, but have about 10 more to cut out ,,,,

Spaniel ,, how did you get BUPA to cough up on a pre existing condition??? ,, thats the reason l havent taken any out ,, l thought they wouldn't ,, you did well ,,,

and Lop ,, neither of these guys, a dermatoligist and a plastic surgeon ,, elaborate to much on the biopsy , they dont mention margins ,, just tell me what it is ,,,,,,, its a bit of a learning curve for me doing this in Thailand ,,, l will be sitting down with the plastic guy and asking a lot about what he cut out and what he intends to do to me ,,,

a life of sun , surf and ,, what was the other? ,, oh yeah ,,, fishing ,,, one has to pay a price l guess ,,,, but l think so far , it has been well worth it

thanks for the replies guys

cheers

[Spaniel]

l think because l already have a graft on my snout he reckons he could do a bit of artistic work , sort of mosaic or maybe he wants to compare his work with the guy back in Aus ,,,,, l had a biopsy done on a piece of my arm about 3 weeks ago ,, came back as Acintic Keratosis(spelling??) , pre cancerous ,,, 1500Bt all up ,,, l can handle that ,, but have about 10 more to cut out ,,,,

Spaniel ,, how did you get BUPA to cough up on a pre existing condition??? ,, thats the reason l havent taken any out ,, l thought they wouldn't ,, you did well ,,,

and Lop ,, neither of these guys, a dermatoligist and a plastic surgeon ,, elaborate to much on the biopsy , they dont mention margins ,, just tell me what it is ,,,,,,, its a bit of a learning curve for me doing this in Thailand ,,, l will be sitting down with the plastic guy and asking a lot about what he cut out and what he intends to do to me ,,,

a life of sun , surf and ,, what was the other? ,, oh yeah ,,, fishing ,,, one has to pay a price l guess ,,,, but l think so far , it has been well worth it

thanks for the replies guys

cheers

It's not really a pre existing condition. I have had the BUPA policy for the past 7 years.

[catwho]

I have to agree with all lopburi says,i was cut in OZ for BCC,in OZ u have to book 2/3 months in advance which i did.

1st visit was spray and check, 2nd was BCC cut out [two]one came back early melanoma ,could not change flight back to thailand, so decided to have it done here,had pathology sent to bumrigrad,ask for dermo to cut,dermo's dont cut they said,get plastic/s, i said its on my back not face,in OZ i told then GP or dermatoligist cut,after general/surgeon,1st one cancelled,2nd booked me in for day surgery,went over pahology test with him ,i had to help understand results, results said 9 oclock,i said just cut big hole around 9 oclock, i am not leaving till you cut me,as he was not sure,,which he did, cost 12,000 baht.

had to get on the them about results on path, but he did a good job.

dermo's dont cut here [skin cancers],

my dermo back in oz cost me 850bucks for 2 visits and pathology 970 bucks,got back 40% from medicare,i could'nt belive path was more than the dermo. i go back to oz eack yr and get checked,i have put a claim in for skin cancer,

have had them for 35yrs,when claiming last JOB PAYS,takes awhile i am still waiting,was accesed at 11% they work on the USA method.

NOT SURE [bIOPSY] here or anywhere.

cat

[catwho]

Dr Ann at Bangkok General in Pattaya. I have used her for +/- 15 years. She was a dermatologist in USA for many years. Excellent hospital facilities.

she was too laser happy for mine,and would not burn/spray all my skin cancers,as she said i had too many,WELL thats what i am here for i said ,NO u should use efudex, i said i tried that and hated it and forgot to keep it up,she did not finnish spraying,but SOME HOW found something to laser,cost 5,000bt.

when i went back to oz,My dermatoligist [one of best in oz]when i asked about laser to cutting said laser can NEVER BE 100% AS U HAVE NO FINAL BIOPSY.

ta cat

[egg]

the dermo l saw up here a few weeks ago was only to happy to cut into my arm (acinti kerotosis ,, spelling?),,,,,whats the 9o'clock stuff mean? sorry , l am a bit thick sometimes,,well most of the time actually ,, all the stuff l got done back in Aus cost me a total of $5 ,, 1 graft , 4 flaps and numerous excisions ,,, maybe l should have gone back there , but l am happier here,,,,

l reported to AekUdon on Sunday ,as requested,to be told that it is not BCC (as they said it was) ,, but the next step up (sorry,cant remember the name,but will find out), between BCC and melanoma ,, the plastic guy took about a 4cm by 2cm chunk off my snout and a slice from behind my ear and stuck it on my nose (looking really good ),, l hope that it takes OK and that he got it all in one , l dont really want to go thru that again , next time l will have a few z's l think ,,,, cost came back at 18500Bt ,, not too bad if it works ,,,,,,,,,,,,it worries me a little that he said come back in 2 weeks for him to take the stitches out and get the path results ,,,l told him 2 weeks is too long for the stitches to be in ,,, l will go to the local GP and he can do it ,, but l will go and see the plastic guy in a couple of weeks and pay a bit more attention to what he says .......so thats how it stands ATM ,,,,,,

cheers egg

[lopburi3]

Likely Squamous cell carcinoma in situ (Bowen disease) which they call shorter is SCC. It is more aggressive than BCC but if margins clear should be safe (but I was advised to watch closely if not a wide margin extraction). Normal time for stitch for me has been one week for just tacking together but perhaps longer when have to graft from other areas.

[egg]

Likely Squamous cell carcinoma in situ (Bowen disease) which they call shorter is SCC. It is more aggressive than BCC but if margins clear should be safe (but I was advised to watch closely if not a wide margin extraction). Normal time for stitch for me has been one week for just tacking together but perhaps longer when have to graft from other areas.

Hi Lop ,,,laying on the operating table is far from the best time for my brain to work , but l dont think it was SCC ,,,l have a thought it started with a D ,,,, bowens disease is what l have on other areas of the face , just dry scab looking , and this certainly was different to them,,, l tried to contact the surgeon today ,, will try again tomorrow ,,,,,,,, with the first graft back in Aus it was 7 days for the stitches,,, that seems to be the norm ,, but l wont take that for granted , will check up on that as well

cheers

[lopburi3]

SCC can take on many appearances it seems. My first was like an enlarged mole/nipple which appeared very quickly on arm. Most recent was red rash type appearance which they called Bowens. First just called SCC in SITU. And I never lived in the sun that much. Must have been that convertible 45 years ago.

[egg]

SCC can take on many appearances it seems. My first was like an enlarged mole/nipple which appeared very quickly on arm. Most recent was red rash type appearance which they called Bowens. First just called SCC in SITU. And I never lived in the sun that much. Must have been that convertible 45 years ago.

thats what you get for driving around in a chick magnet ,,, ,,,l bet you would like that convertible now ,well maybe not in this sun,,,,,

most of my earlier life was spent in the sun from surfing to fishing and just living on the beach and driving many miles ,, the problems l have now are on the right arm (from hanging out the window)and a few on the fingers from the knuckle to the first joint(from holding the steering wheel),, on the face , l put it down a lot to the reflection off the sea coming up under the hat ,,,,,, the thing on my nose looked a bit like a cross between a pimple and a boil,,, smallish and dry , about 6 or 7mm in dia ,,, l could pick the top off and get a clear fluid come out(not puss) ,, not heaps a bit like a pimple ,,, the bowens(l am told) is like l said ,,, a scaley , scabby thing ,,, about the same size (6 or 7 mm),,, but some are very small ,, can really only feel them as rough spots , no bigger than a pin head ,,, the ones on the arm and fingers are like the end of a match sticking out of my skin about 3 or 4 mm ,,,,apparently acinti kerotosis ,,when they look like that cut them out , until then just keep an eye on them ,,,,, jeeeez ,,looking at this one would think l have very little good skin left ,,,,,l hope this is some help to somebody ,,, so far AekUdon is OK ,,, but time will tell

cheers

[lopburi3]

If it gets someone to check themselves earlier rather than later believe such discussions are highly useful. It need not be expensive but in Thailand most doctors will assume non cancer rather than checking so best to pay that extra cost to check if any doubt.