The incidence of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSCs) is increasing worldwide. While NMSCs are more common, melanoma remains the most challenging because of its higher aggressiveness. Although the use of sunscreens is key in high-risk populations, it provides limited protection, which highlights the need for alternative solutions. In this review, we discuss current evidence on chemopreventive therapies, as well as their efficacy and adverse events, including immunocompetent and immunosuppressed patients. Acitretin, nicotinamide, 5-fluorouracil, and photodynamic therapy have shown overall promising results in actinic keratosis and squamous cell carcinoma. Nevertheless, more research is needed to establish their efficacy, particularly in melanoma, Merkel cell carcinoma, and cutaneous lymphoma, due to their higher mortality rates.

Scars from skin cancer surgery impact patients' quality of life. In recent years, fractional CO₂ (fCO₂) laser has been used for scar improvement. A single-center retrospective study (n = 22) was conducted to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the fCO₂ laser in improving the aesthetic outcome of post-surgical skin cancer scars, using the validated Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS). We obtained a mean VSS reduction of 44.5% and an absolute decrease of 2.77 points (p < .001). Statistically significant improvements were observed in all VSS parameters except for pigmentation. No significant correlation was found between time since surgery and reduction in VSS. Fractional CO₂ laser is a safe and effective approach for improving surgical scars following skin cancer treatment. Its efficacy is not limited to early scars.