Skin Cancer Surgery

What is skin cancer surgery?

Skin cancer surgery involves the removal of a skin cancer. These can occur anywhere on your body.

Why might I need skin cancer surgery?

Your General Practitioner may identify a suspicious skin lesion and take a biopsy (removing a small section to look at under the microscope) to confirm the diagnosis. If this comes back as a malignant lesion (cancer) these should be removed.

What are the different types of Skin Cancer Surgery offered by the Doctor?

When deciding on the best approach Dr Scott considers a number of key factors:

1. Removing the all of skin cancer without leaving any behind

2. Preserving function (especially if it is on an important area such as the lip or ear)

3. Maintaining a cosmetically acceptable appearance

What does Skin surgery involve?

The procedure may involve local anaesthetic or a general anaesthetic depending on the location and size of the skin cancer. The are a number of techinques that are used and these will be tailored to your specific needs

• Excision & Closure - if the skin cancer is small simply removing it and closing the skin is appropriate

• Skin Flaps - A skin flap is a piece of healthy skin and tissue that is partially detached from its original location and moved to cover a nearby wound. It may be used to improve function or cosmetic appearance

• Skin Grafts - A skin graft involves transplanting healthy skin from one part of the body (usually the leg or the abdomen) to replace the skin where the skin cancer was removed from.

What will the recovery be like after surgery?

You will be able to go home the same day as your procedure

What are the risks of Skin Cancer surgery?

The risks include bleeding, infection and excess scarring. Dr Scott will discuss potential risks in detail during the consent process.