SKIN FLAP SURGERY

What is skin flap surgery?

All skin cancers are initially attempted to be excised using simple elliptical excision.

However, sometimes, after excising the skin cancer, the resulting surgical defect (“hole”) is too large and a simple wound closure is not possible.

Or sometimes, it is possible to close the wound but it creates an unacceptable cosmetic and functional deformity. Such as these large surgical defects:

In these instances, skin flap or graft is used to close the wound. Flap Surgery is when the skin of the surrounding region is pulled to close the defect. Graft Surgery refers to when the skin of the distant region is borrowed to close the surgical defect. Indications for flap surgery

• There are numerous different types of skin flap surgery. Which tupe the doctor uses depends largely on the surgeon’s experience.
  
  
• Important factors in individualizing this decision making process are:
  • Patient and anatomical characteristics
  • Size of the defect
  • The desired end result
  • Surgeon’s experience
    
    
• Flap surgery usually gives a better cosmetic result than the graft surgery. However, in certain circumstances, the surgical defect after removing the skin cancer is so large, flap surgery is not possible. In these circumstances, skin graft surgery is used to close the wound.

RISKS OF FLAP OR GRAFT SURGERY

• All flaps and graft surgery carries a risk, no different from any other surgical procedures including simple elliptical excision. However, these risks are higher than the simple elliptical excision. These risks are:
  
  
  • Wound infection
  • wound breaking down
  • longer time to heal
  • bad scarring
  • numbness and tenderness of the surgery site
  • bruising and bleeding
  • inability to carry out normal duties until wound is healed
    
• Wound healing is usually slower, more painful, and the risks of complications are higher in certain anatomical regions (such as the legs than other areas).

 

CASE STUDIES

To view case studies 1-10, click here.