Skin Cancer & Reconstruction

Purpose- Learning that you have a skin cancer can be difficult news. When it is in a cosmetically sensitive area on your face, preserving normal tissue and restoring a natural appearance is imperative. This can be done with standard excision or Mohs resection. Closure is then performed by a surgeon who is trained in facial plastic surgery procedures.

Procedure- The size and location of the defect will dictate the recommended closure and repair. The general principle of closure is to borrow extra, unnecessary tissue from other similar or nearby locations. All layers of the defect and all tissue types that are removed must be replaced. Skin grafts and cartilage grafts harvested from other regions of the head and neck or body are often necessary. For defects of the nose, multiple surgeries may be necessary to provide optimal results. The procedure length varies from 15 min. to 3 hrs. depending on the exact defect. Generally, the closure can be done under local anesthesia or conscious sedation. Together with Dr. Ladner, an appropriate anesthetic plan will be determined.

Recovery- You should be able to return to normal function the day of the procedure. An occlusive dressing may be placed after the surgery. Because wounds heal more quickly in clean, moist environments, wound care instructions will be provided. Sutures are removed within 7 days of the procedure.

Mohs Reconstructive Surgery Before & After Photos

The pictures below are graphic and not suitable for all audiences.

After Mohs resection of nasal basal cell carcinoma	3 months after paramedian forehead flap reconstruction