Colin P White
Surrey Memorial Hospital, Canada
Title: Local skin flap utilization for cutaneous malignancies: A practical approach for success to reconstruction
Biography
Biography: Colin P White
Abstract
The approach to superficial melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer reconstruction is complex. Surgical excision and reconstruction can be approached in multiple ways depending on the size of defect, tissue quality, tissue character and position of hairline. The most important factor in skin cancer reconstruction is the location of the defect relative to the anatomic body area. An effective solution to skin defects is not always advanced complicated skin flaps but primary closure and skin grafts can work quite well when used appropriately. We will show that knowledge of basic reconstruction of areas such as the nose, ear and lower extremity are best done with a combination of complex local flaps like the bilobed flap, keystone flap and basic skin grafts. We will show successes and failures of different techniques at sites. The keystone flap is emphasized, as this flap tends to be underutilized and can be of tremendous help in areas such as the lower extremity. We also show that where appropriate primary closure and skin grafts which are often perceived as easier reconstructions can have far superior cosmetic results than more complex flaps. We would like to encourage use of this approach for complex defects and other defect closures. There are several basic principles that we believe are key when approaching various skin defects and we would like to highlight these components during our talk.