Skin Cancer and the Role of the Plastic Surgeon in Recovery

Cancers of the skin are the most common typesearly, basal cell carcinoma poses little threat to
of cancer that afflict people. A shocking one inpatients, who generally recover easily although
five people in the United States will have a skinthey will continue to have their skin monitored for
cancer diagnosis, and for Caucasians, the chancesnew problems.
are a sobering one in three people will face skinSevere disease and even death can result if basal
cancer.cell carcinoma is undetected or untreated.
Fortunately, most of these brushes with cancerAlthough it does not tend to spread to the rest
are limited to the early removal of cancerous cellsof the body, it is possible if left uncontrolled.
from skin tissue before the disease has a chanceSquamous Cell Carcinoma
to spread. Mortality is low for people who developThe second most common type of skin cancer is
skin cancer, but sometimes the skin and tissuesquamous cell carcinoma, which is detected in
removal can cause disfigurement. In such aroughly 250,000 people in the United States every
situation, a skin cancer patient will be referred toyear. When this cancer develops, it is the
a plastic surgeon for reconstruction. Sometimes, asquamous cells within the upper layer of the skin
dermatologist will consult with a plastic surgeonthat is afflicted with cancer. Like basal cell
from the beginning as a skin cancer removal iscarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma has a high
planned in order create an outcome that istreatment success rate when diagnosed early.
healthy and aesthetically acceptable.Melanoma
The cause of the overwhelming amount of skinMelanoma is the bad word of skin cancer. It is the
cancers is exposure to the sun. Protectingmost malignant form with the ability to spread
yourself and your children from sunburns is crucialaggressively through the body and even cause
to maintaining the health of your skin. Preventingdeath. Melanoma strikes the melanocyte cells that
children from getting sunburns is particularlyproduce the pigment melanin in the skin.
important because a bad blistering burn inFortunately, it is not as widespread as the other
childhood can lead to skin cancer years later.two types of skin cancer. Of the estimated
According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, your60,000 cases of melanoma in the United States
chance of developing a cancer of the skin doublesevery year, many of them are treated
if you have had five or more sunburns.successfully by removal of the diseased cells.
Three primary categories of skin cancer exist.However, early detection is critical with melanoma
Each one affects a different type of cell withinbefore it has a chance to reach the lymphatic
the tissues of the skin.system and spread throughout the body.
Basal Cell CarcinomaAlong with damage from the sun, using a tanning
Basal Cell Carcinoma is by far the most commonbed has also been linked to skin cancer, even
type of skin cancer. This type of skin cancermelanoma.
occurs so frequently, that many cancer registriesSkin Reconstruction After Cancer
forgo collecting the case data because it would beTremendous progress has been made in the
overwhelming and it is not a particularly deadlyplastic surgeon community to develop surgical
form of skin disease. Still, the medical communitytechniques to help people who have been
estimates that about one million new cases ofdisfigured by diseases like skin cancer. When
basal cell carcinoma are diagnosed in the Unitedremoval entails more than a small patch of skin or
States every year.the skin cancer is on the face or other visible
This disease is characterized by cancer cells andarea, a plastic surgeon will repair the skin to
tumor growth within the basal cells in the deepestproduce a functional and more pleasing
layer of the epidermis. If detected and removedappearance.