Skin Cancer

Skin cancer is often treated by surgically removing the cancerous area along with a surrounding cuff of skin and tissue to ensure that it was removed in its entirety. Often time these areas can be closed primarily with some sutures but sometimes other procedures are required involving a plastic surgeon. Sometimes skin from one area near the defect is moved or rearranged to help close the area, other times a skin graft is required. Your plastic surgeon will help to recreate a plan that will optimize the appearance of the wound while trying to minimize the scarring and deformity that is caused by the cancer, helping restore both form and function.

Will there be scars?

Anytime an incision is made on the skin there will be a scar present. How visible the scar is will depend on several different factors such as skin tension, location of incisions and skin quality to just name a few. All attempts are made to minimize the appearance of any scars.

If I need a skin graft where is it taken from?

The answer to this depends on the location on the body that we are trying to cover. A split-thickness skin graft is a thin partial shaving of skin and is often taken from the anterior thigh and is used for most areas outside of the face and hands. For those areas, a full thickness skin graft is often used in which an area of skin is surgically removed and transplanted to the needed area, with the donor site closed with stitches. This can be harvested from several different places such as the groin, behind the ear, neck and even upper eyelids if necessary.