Reconstructive Surgery

Skin Cancer Excision

Approximately, one in four fair-skinned Canadians will get at least one skin cancer at sometime during their lifetime. Almost all skin cancers are caused by excessive sun exposure over an individual's lifetime. Fortunately, the majority of skin cancers are not life threatening and can be managed with surgical excision under local anaesthesia.

Plastic surgeons are often involved in removing skin cancers as most of them occur on the sun-exposed surfaces of the face, which includes the nose, cheeks, temples, and ears. The challenge becomes not only removing the skin cancer but, restoring the face to its previous natural appearance. A variety of methods are used to remove skin cancers and "reconstruct" the resulting defect. These range from closing the defect as a straight line to rotating skin from other areas of the face into the defect.

Canadian Society of Plastic Surgeons
BC Cancer Agency
BC Cancer Society
Canadian Cancer Society