Reconstructive Surgery

Skin Cancer Reconstruction

Skin Grafts

Skin grafts are often employed after Mohs surgery. Mohs surgery is a surgical technique used to treat skin cancer. During Mohs surgery, thin layers of cancer-containing skin are removed until only cancer-free tissue is left.

Skin grafting can reduce the course of treatment needed and improve the function and appearance of the area of the body where the graft is placed. There are two types of skin grafts:

• Partial thickness skin graft: A thin layer is removed from a healthy part of the body (the donor section).
• Full thickness skin graft: A full-thickness layer is removed from the donor section. This type is more risky in terms of the body accepting the skin but leaves only a scar line on the donor section. Full thickness skin grafts often heal more quickly than the injury site and are less painful than partial thickness grafts.

Adjacent Tissue Transfer or Flap Surgery

An adjacent tissue transfer or flap surgery is when a piece of tissue that is still attached to the body by a major artery and vein, or at its base, is moved or rotated to a new location. This piece of tissue with its attached blood supply is used in reconstructive surgery by being set into a recipient site (injured area onto which a flap or graft is placed).

Sometimes, the flap is comprised of skin and fatty tissue only, but a flap may also include muscle and cartilage from the donor site (the area from which the flap is raised). When done on the face, this procedure requires an expert’s touch and experience. Our physicians are leaders in the field of facial adjacent tissue transfer. If you have recently undergone skin cancer treatment and are struggling with scars or disfigurement, talk to your physician today about what adjacent tissue transfer can do for you.

Linear Closures

Our physicians are experts in performing linear closures. In fact, it’s our most common procedure. When performing a linear closure, the physician shapes the wound so that it can be closed along a single line. He or she then utilizes sutures to bring the facial tissue together. The result is a thin closure that heals without leaving scarring.

The images in these slideshows are very graphic and show open facial, head, and neck wounds immediately following surgical removal of skin cancer prior to closure. Do not view these slideshows if you do not want to view very graphic images