Skin Cancer Reconstruction

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 Dr. Seeley who is a board certified facial plastic surgeon.

 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. Generally, the closure can be done under local anesthesia or conscious sedation.

Repair of facial cancer defects that have been created using the Mohs technique often utilize healthy adjacent skin flaps or skin grafts. Large facial cancers occasionally need to be repaired using free tissue transfer, ie skin, muscle, and/or bone from a different part of the body brought to fill the facial defect.

Dr. Seeley is a board certified facial plastic surgeon who performs an abundant number of Moh’s procedures.  His skills in repairing a facial defect are second to none.