Skin Cancer Reconstruction
in Your Recovery
Sun Protection is a fact of life™
Amidst your anxiety, skin cancer reconstruction is indeed good news. Despite the lesions, bumps and nodules that may have appeared on your skin due to cancerous cells, reconstructive surgery can restore its beauty.
In some instances, your skin may even come out looking more beautiful than before you have had skin cancer.
However, the benefits of skin cancer reconstruction should not be sufficient reason to avoid sun protection just to get the disease. It is stupidity, plain and simple; something that overexposure to the sun may have brought into your head, in a manner of speaking.
Before Surgery
Reconstruction surgery for skin cancer presupposes that you have the disease in the first place. Keep in mind that only a qualified dermatologist or surgeon will be able to determine if you need additional tests to confirm the presence of skin cancer mainly through a biopsy.
So if you notice an unusual growth, lesion and other changes in your skin, the very first thing to do is to consult a competent doctor. You should not apply topical ointments, scratch it and perform other actions to remove it on your own. Otherwise, you may be making worse something that can still be remedied.
Once your doctor determines that it is indeed skin cancer, you will be offered various options ranging from topical ointments to surgery and chemotherapy. It will all depend on the type, severity and location of the cancerous cells.
During Surgery
In this article, we are discussing skin cancer reconstruction, which is basically a surgical procedure. This is applicable to cases where the tumors are large and/or located in highly visible areas like the face and neck. In a way, you will enjoy its two-fold benefits.
On one hand, your skin cancer can be completely healed because of compete excision. On the other hand, your skin will go back to its normal state with very little to no scarring.
There will be bleeding and swelling after the operation but these signs are just normal. After a few days, your skin will almost be as good as new with the assumptions that your doctor was good at his job and you were good enough to follow his recommendations for faster healing.
At present, surgical excision is the most popular form of skin cancer treatment. Basically, your doctor will remove the cancerous skin cells along with some of the surrounding healthy tissues. Mohs skin cancer surgery is one of the methods used.
Your doctor will cut along the natural lines of the face to minimize scars. For example, if your skin cancer is located in the forehead, your skin will be cut along the wrinkle lines.
However, for larger tumors, other methods of reconstructive surgery may be required. Your doctor will choose either skin grafting or skin flaps, either of which has been proven to be effective.
Your recovery from skin cancer reconstruction surgery will depend on how well you take action on the doctor's recommendations.
In all cases, you will be instructed to take better care of your skin - avoid overexposure to the sun especially around noon, wear UV protection clothing and apply sunscreens, to name a few.
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