Skin Cancer

The most common type of skin cancer is a Basal Cell Carcinoma.

Your consultation

Head and neck skin cancer surgery is complex and requires very specific experience. Unlike cosmetic surgery, a referral from your General Practitioner is required as this condition potentially has implications for your health.

Head and neck surgery where reconstructions are more complex than elsewhere on the body. Most commonly, a biopsy of the lesion is obtained to ensure that it is a cancer so that surgery is not undertaken unnecessarily.  At this stage a description of the surgery and reconstruction will be discussed.

How is the procedure undertaken?

Commonly, a “staged excision and reconstruction” is undertaken as this ensures that a tumour is completely excised prior to any attempt at reconstruction. If this course is not followed it is difficult to ascertain where residual tumour lies if a complex reconstruction is undertaken at the time of the excision.  The time span between the excision and reconstruction is a day or two.

What is the post-operative course?
It is important to avoid anything too active in the immediate postoperative days.  You will be instructed as to the postoperative wound care.  Smoking worsens all wound healing and should be avoided. If you are on anticoagulants, these can be started the day following surgery.  Sutures on the head and neck are generally removed in 5-7 days following surgery at which stage the results of histology (if not already available) will be given do you. Steristrips are frequently applied to keep tension off the wound.

What are the possible complications?
If it is appropriate, medication which prolongs bleeding (such as aspirin or warfarin) may need to be stopped up to one week prior to surgery. Many herbal remedies have anticoagulant properties so should be avoided. Your medication can be started again on the day following surgery. Slight oozing of blood is expected after surgery but anything more than this warrants medical attention. Immediate treatment consists of applying pressure directly over the wound for ten minutes. If this does not stop the bleeding, you will need to notify your surgeon.  Sometimes lesions are infected prior to surgery, in which case you may be given antibiotics following surgery. If you do have increasing pain after surgery, infection is likely and you should seek medical advice as soon as possible.