SKIN CANCER REMOVAL
Skin Cancer Removal and Reconstruction
Naples Plastic Surgery
Living in Florida and being exposed to so much sun– skin cancer is actually quite frequent. You may be asking “Why should I consult my plastic surgeon to deal with skin cancer?” Well, when it comes to skin cancers, a lot of the time you need to remove not only the cancer but some surrounding tissue. That tends to leave wounds which are slightly larger than what you might expect. So, it’s important to get somebody who’s trained and capable to not only cover those wounds but to do it in such a way to give you a good cosmetic outcome.
As plastic surgeons, we can treat you from an oncologic or cancer standpoint to get rid of your cancer, but we also move tissue around and hide scars to give you a nice cosmetic result as well. If you have been diagnosed with skin cancer or are concerned about spots on your skin don’t hesitate to call us for your consultation.
There are several different types of harmful skin cancer that, left untreated, can lead to severe disfigurement. Symptoms can be difficult to recognize and greatly depend on the type of cancer as well as the severity level. Patients should seek immediate medical attention at the first sign of any abnormal skin growth, discoloration, bumps, sores or white patches. Individuals should especially watch for the warning signs of melanoma, a particularly dangerous and life-threatening cancer.
If you are concerned that you may have skin cancer, a great way to diagnose it is by visiting Dr. Leo M. Baccaro, Dr. Mark Walsh, or Dr. Andrew Bonett. Your chosen surgeon will perform a biopsy, and if it comes back positive for cancer, he will remove the affected skin.
SKIN CANCER SURGERY
Many primary care doctors, as well as some dermatologists, see the value of having a skilled plastic surgeon perform skin cancer removal procedures for their patients. Because of this, the surgeons at Naples Plastic Surgery are highly recommended by other healthcare professionals for this procedure. They perform comprehensive skin exams, cancer removals, and wound closing and repair. Sometimes this requires a skin graft or flap of tissue moved from one part of the patient’s body to another. Our surgeons have specialized training in this that allows patients to achieve restoration after this sometimes disfiguring surgery.
Patients who have been diagnosed with skin cancer after a positive biopsy result are seen in consultation by Dr. Baccaro, Dr. Walsh, or Dr. Bonett at their office. Often, the surgery to remove the cancer can be done on the same day as the consultation. A local anesthetic is injected into the area of the skin cancer, and it is removed, often using the “Mohs” technique, a precision surgical procedure designed to ensure that the cancer is completely gone from the area within a short time of the excision. Incision closure is then conducted using plastic surgery techniques that will result in the least scarring possible.
So we’re going to do Mohs reconstruction. What are the top five ways we can minimize the scarring?
Number one — keep it clean, follow the instructions that we gave you. Usually you can shower, wash your face 24 hours or so after the reconstruction, but if you get it dirty, it leads to more inflammation that can lead to worsening scarring.
Number two — don’t overdo it. You might think it’s really small I can go play golf the next day, but when you do a lot of activity after you do any kind of reconstruction, even if it seems small, you’re going to add swelling to the scar. When you add swelling to it the scar can get wider. It can actually separate, so that’s one of the reasons that we tell you not to overdo it.
Number three — protect it from the sun. The UV exposure to the scar, especially when it’s in the early maturing phase, can really change the final color of the scar.
Number four — is use scar therapy. We very commonly use silagen creams or silicone sheets for the scar. You have to wait till it’s fully healed — usually that’s between one and three weeks — but putting silicone on it is one of the easiest things you can do to help the scar be as as minimal as it can be.
Tip number five is be patient. A lot of times it looks finally healed, but we’re not happy with the result yet. Swelling, the color, these things take time. A lot of times we have to massage the scar, sometimes we even do a steroid injection, but you have to have the expectations, depending on where it is, some of these things will take longer than others to be the final result.
To minimize further damage to the skin that can lead to severe disfigurement, patients who are experiencing skin cancer symptoms should schedule a one-on-one consultation with Dr. Baccaro, Dr. Walsh, or Dr. Bonett by calling (239) 566-2611.
Naples Plastic Surgery accepts most health insurance plans for Skin Cancer Removal procedures. Contact our office to learn more.
239-566-2611
