Reconstruction

Once the area has been cleared of all cancer reconstruction of the wound is necessary. Depending on the location, size and depth of the wound one of the following options will be selected:

• Small, simple wounds may be allowed to heal by themselves.
• Slightly larger wounds may be closed with stitches in a side-to-side fashion and will try to be done along a skin fold to help camouflage the scar.
• Larger or more complicated wounds may require a skin graft from another area of the body or a flap, which closes the defect with skin adjacent to the wound. On rare occasions, the patient will be referred to another reconstructive surgical such as a head & neck surgeon if the wound is large and on the head/face.