Skin cancer reconstruction is a type of plastic surgery that replaces skin affected by cancer. Skin cancer reconstruction is a painful process. The surgeon will remove the skin cancer and then rebuild it with skin grafts.
The skin grafts are taken from elsewhere on your body, most commonly from the thigh, buttocks or back. Skin from these areas is often used because it is thinner and not as sensitive as other skin parts. Reconstrucción de cáncer de piel can be done to restore the appearance of your skin after it’s been burned or removed by a plastic surgeon. This type of procedure is used to treat skin cancer and other types of damage to the skin.
What are the Types of Skin Cancer Reconstruction?
There are four types of skin cancer reconstruction:
Skin donated from another body area. Skin grafts can cover and protect areas that have been burned, irritated, or damaged due to sun exposure or other causes. Skin grafts are typically taken from the back, abdomen (tummy), buttocks, thigh, shoulder or forearm.
Skin flaps. A skin flap is an area of skin that has been removed from the body to create a new one. In cases where the original site is too large or difficult to remove completely, a smaller portion may be taken and sewn into place on top of another part of your body (such as an arm).
Skin resurfacing. Suppose you have had multiple skin cancers that spread throughout your body. In that case, removing all or part of your outer layer as part of your treatment plan at Kaiser Permanente Dermatology Center may be necessary. Reconstruction options include Mohs surgery (micrographic surgery) and laser surgery (including Fraxel).
There are three main types of skin cancer reconstruction. These are:
- Wound closure (also known as closure or wound closure) involves closing the skin wound with stitches and bandages.
- Wound excision (also known as excision) removes the damaged tissue and stitches the wound to prevent it from reopening, leaving a thin scar usually hidden by hair.
- Mohs surgery involves removing all visible signs of cancer with a scalpel and removing any remaining tumour cells that may have spread to other body areas during treatment.
Benefits of Skin Cancer Reconstruction
Skin cancer reconstruction is a medical procedure that can be performed to repair your skin after a burn, scarring or cancer has damaged it. The procedure may include the removal of the damaged tissue and the reconstruction of new layers on top of it.
The benefits of skin cancer reconstruction include the following:
- Permanent results
Most skin cancers are removed completely through surgery, so they never grow back. This is unlike other types of scars, which can fade away over time but may still leave some traces behind. If you have had skin cancer removed, you can be sure that it will never return.
- Improved appearance
When you have an area of your body reconstructed with additional skin, you’ll have more fullness and smoothness than before the surgery. This will make your scar look better than if it had not been treated. You may even find that your chest or abdomen looks smaller than before, which is common among women who have breast cancer surgeries.
Conclusion
Skin cancer reconstruction is a surgical procedure that removes or reduces the size of any abnormal skin growths (tumours) and replaces them with new skin. Surgery for skin cancer aims to remove the abnormal tissue and create a scarred surface where the tumour used to be. If a large, deep-seated tumour is removed, this can help prevent a recurrence. Skin cancers are not all created equal. Some grow slowly, may be painless and heal without treatment. Others grow rapidly, often causing pain and disfiguration. Some may also spread to other body parts through lymph nodes or blood vessels.
