Skin Cancer Surgery
Almost 75 – 80 % of newly diagnosed cancers across Australia are skin cancers . This takes Australia on the top of the world for skin cancer incidence.
Any cancer is less forgiving and although most skin cancers are slow growing ( except melanoma ) they will need to come out. With increasing awareness for cosmesis especially for cut outs on exposed body parts like faces, forearms , hands and legs , people would get plastic surgeons to do them.
Comprehensive service
We at Esmée, provide a fcomprehensive service for any skin cancer surgery with Dr Mahadik who has done thousands of such procedures at various Plastic Surgery units across the city.
SKIN CANCER SURGERY IN BRIEF
| Duration of procedure | ½ to 1 hr |
| Hospital | Most of the hand procedures can be safely done under regional block in the rooms |
| Magic blocks | Dr Mahadik has an expensive experience in local anaesthetic blocks. This is a specific technique used by Dr Mahadik for regional and local anaesthesia using ;
Adrenaline is not used in finger anaesthesia. Nerve blocks also can selectively numb target nerves with just 1-2 cc solution. A patch of Emla ( local anaesthetic creme ) is applied to numb the needle prick.in sensitive patients. A tiny 27 guaze needle ( tiny needle equivalent to a botox needle ) is used to create a bleb of anaesthetic under the numbed skin. 3-5 cc of anaesthetic infiltration is slowly carried out with minimal discomfort. The surgery is then performed under sterile conditions in a bloodless field. |
| Going home | All day procedures go home after 2-3 hrs post surgery |
| Cost | Claiming medicare rebates is getting increasingly harder and not worth the time wasted. You cannot claim these rebates through our clinic. We however have chosen to incorporate them in our pricing model so you don’t miss out on anything. The cost reduces considerably for multiple lesions done at the same time. |
| Excision and closure | $ AUD 400 |
| Excision and skin graft | $ AUD 800 |
| Excision and flap | $ AUD 1000 |
| Fat Grafting rejuvenation | $ AUD 1000 each area |
TYPES OF SKIN LESIONS
BENIGN
They are often referred as moles , tags or lumps and bumps. They are not cancerous , but may look awful and people want to get rid of them for cosmetic reasons.
PRE CANCEROUS LESIONS
Some of the skin lesions fall in the category of being ‘ suspicious ‘. Often the pathology reports after such biopsies come back as being pre malignant. they have a higher potential to turn into a cancer.
Its better to get them out earlier than later.
Examples are solar keratosis and bowen’s disease.
BASAL CELL CARCINOMA ( BCC )
BCC is the most common type of skin cancer of all ,which fortuitously has the best cure rate with surgery. They are slow growing lesions, and rarely spreads to other areas of the body.
If left untreated for long ,however it can grow beneath the skin and erode underlying tissues, hence also call as a ‘rodent ulcer ‘.
Since it does not cause any symptoms and grows slowly, people may tend to ignore it until it grows extensively under the skin requiring extensive surgery.
SQAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA ( SCC )
SCC’s are relatively faster growing more aggressive cancers than BCC.
They occur mostly in sun-exposed areas, such as the face and backs of the hands
It presents as a scaly, quickly growing pink lump, which may also bleed and ulcerate.
It sometimes spreads to distant sites, including lymph nodes and internal organs. Surgical treatment will usually be curative if diagnosed in its early stages, if left untreated can be life threatening.
MALIGNANT MELANOMA
Australia has the highest rate of melanoma in the world. Although it is the least common skin cancer, it is the most deadly of all.
Melanoma mostly occurs on sun exposed skin, but can occur anywhere. It may develop from an existing mole or appear as a new brown, red or black spot which changes and grows in size.
Fortunately, if diagnosed early, most melanomas can be cured with surgical treatment alone. Once diagnosis is made, one is usually required to undergo wider excision of the lesion and possibly have lymph glands sampled as well.
If however, malignant melanoma may spread throughout the body and is often deadly.
TREATMENT OPTIONS
Skin cancers can be treated by a number of methods, depending on the type of cancer and its location. In our opinion most skin cancers are best removed surgically, as the cancer will be sent to the pathologist to ensure it has been completely removed. It also puts you in peace of mind as no cancer cells have been left behind to worry. Treatments of complex skin cancers, or those that occur in cosmetically sensitive areas, such as the face require considerable expertise to ensure the best outcome is achieved.
Skin Cancer Surgeons and Plastic Surgeons are highly regarded as the best at performing these procedures.
They are trained well and experienced in all modalities of surgical reconstructions.
FLAPS vs SKIN GRAFTS
At Esmée Clinic 90% of our patients are offered ‘flap procedures ‘ after the cut out especially on faces.
What is a Flap ?
Flap procedure involves moving around a live tissue from adjacent to the area from where the cancer was cut out.
What is a Skin graft ?
Skin is shaved or harvested from a different location of your body and stitched to the cut out site
Flaps give a much superior cosmetic outcome for the following reasons,
| No | Skin Grafts | Flaps |
| 1 | Different quality skin – as it comes from different area | The flap skin is a perfect match – comes from just adjacent to the cut out |
| 2 | Often colour match a few tones darker | Good colour match |
| 3 | Leaves an indentation as the harvested skin is thinner than the defect | No indentation with good contours |
| 4 | Gives a ‘patch work’ effect | Blends with the surrounding skin |
| 5 | Less durable with lengthy aftercare | Durable with downtime of 10 days |
| 6 | Scarring with indentations | Fine unnoticeable scars |
For more information about
our cosmetic and reconstructive surgery services or to book an appointment, contact us via this form!
