Bayside Plastic Surgeon
Dr. David A. Ross FRACS (PLAST)
Plastic & Cosmetic Surgeon
03 9596 8888

Skin Cancer Surgery

Plastic Surgeon David Ross

Skin Cancer Surgery

Skin cancer is a very common condition in Australia. In fact, it is the most common form of cancer suffered by Australians. Most skin specialists agree that surgical excision of skin cancer is the most effective treatment modality and is recommended in most situations. Simple skin cancers and non-cancerous growths can be simply excised and directly closed. These procedures can often be undertaken directly in our Melbourne office at the time of consultation. More complex skin cancer on the face and body will also require surgical excision, but will require the skill of a reconstructive plastic surgeon to prevent disfiguring scarring or deformity following surgical excision. The use of plastic reconstructive surgery techniques at the time of skin cancer excision will optimize the aesthetic outcome following the removal of these tumours.

Skin cancer monitoring and surveillance can be undertaken by review appointments in our office but Dr. Ross will usually arrange for further surveillance to be undertaken by your own general practitioner, following uneventful recovery from surgery. If there is some concern about the adequacy of the excision margin or the quality of the aesthetic outcome of the reconstruction, Dr. Ross will continue to review your outcome until it is clear that the risk of recurrence has been eliminated. Dr. Ross will arrange referral to other cancer specialists if other forms of adjuvant cancer therapy are thought necessary after the surgical excision of the skin cancer.

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Skin Cancer – Diagnosis and Treatment

Many patients will be referred directly to a plastic surgeon by their general practitioner with the suspicion of skin cancer, for surgical intervention. Some general practitioners will refer to a skin specialist first for confirmation of the diagnosis of skin cancer. Usually those patients with skin cancer best treated by surgery will then be referred on by the skin specialist to a reconstructive plastic surgeon for surgical removal and immediate reconstructive surgery to the body area where the cancer arose.

There are three common types of skin cancer, each which has certain differences in growth, behaviour, and prognosis:

  • basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer and characterised by slow persistent growth if not completely excised but is rarely life-threatening,
  • squamous cell carcinoma is less common but generally appears on the face, ears, lips and lower limbs, and can become dangerous if left untreated,
  • malignant melanoma is the least common, but most dangerous, it is usually but not always pigmented and its growth may be signaled by a change in the appearance of an existing mole or a newly arisen pigmented growth.

The majority of cancerous growths can be removed with a simple excision by a dermatologist or plastic surgeon. When larger tumours begin to spread, they can often affect adjacent tissue and structures beneath the skin, requiring more extensive excision and reconstructive surgery at a Melbourne surgical facility. The skills of a plastic surgeon can be extremely beneficial in repairing structures damaged by skin cancer, especially on the face. Using skin grafts, flap surgery, and other reconstructive surgery techniques, Melbourne plastic surgeon David Ross can remove both cancerous and non-cancerous growths and lesions, and reconstruct any structural deformities caused by the growth. Excision of most skin cancers can be undertaken as a small day surgery procedure under general anaesthesia or sedation. Follow up is usually required in the form of weekly postoperative appointments until complete healing has been achieved.

Skin Cancer Detection Clinics

Over recent years many general practitioner staffed Skin Cancer Clinics have arisen throughout the communities in Australia for the assessment and surveillance of skin cancer. Although these clinics provide a worthwhile community service in assessing and diagnosing skin cancer, patients should understand that many of these clinics are not staffed by specialist dermatologists or plastic surgeons. If you are attending these clinics and are advised to have a lesion surgically removed, please consider asking for a referral to a trained plastic surgeon to undertake your procedure, especially if the lesion is on the face or limbs, so that the best surgical technique can be employed and the best aesthetic result achieved. Many non-specialist general practitioners working in these clinics are undertaking advanced surgical procedures often resulting in unfavourable results.

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Bayside Plastic Surgery
159 Church Street
Brighton 3186, Australia
100-5000 Url: info@baysideplasticsurgery.com.au
Peninsula Plastic Surgery
Consulting Suites, PPH,
525 McClelland Drive
Frankston, Victoria, 3199
100-5000 Url: info@baysideplasticsurgery.com.au
Monash Plastic Surgery
220 Clayton Road Suite 14
Clayton VIC Australia
100-5000 Url: info@baysideplasticsurgery.com.au

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Bayside Plastic Surgeon
Dr. David A. Ross FRACS (PLAST)
Plastic & Cosmetic Surgeon
03 9596 8888
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