Facial Skin Cancer Reconstruction

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Basics & Goals - Skin Deep Strategy

  • Common Facial Skin Cancers:
    • Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC): Most prevalent, slow-growing.
    • Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC): Higher metastatic potential than BCC.
    • Melanoma: Most aggressive, highest mortality.
  • Core Reconstructive Goals:
    • Restore normal form and preserve function (e.g., eyelid, lip competence).
    • Achieve optimal aesthetic outcome; minimize visible scarring.
    • Protect vital underlying structures.
  • Strategic Principles: 📌 R-A-L-T (RSTL, Aesthetic subunits, Like-with-like, Tension-free)
    • Incisions along Relaxed Skin Tension Lines (RSTL).
    • Reconstruct within facial aesthetic subunits.
    • "Like replaces like": Use tissue similar in color/texture.
    • Tension-free wound closure.
  • Timing Considerations:
    • Immediate reconstruction: Preferred for most defects post-excision.
    • Delayed reconstruction: Considered for extensive tumors or after Mohs surgery to ensure clear margins. Facial aesthetic subunits and relaxed skin tension lines

⭐ Respecting Relaxed Skin Tension Lines (RSTL) is crucial for minimizing scar visibility and achieving optimal cosmetic outcomes in facial reconstruction.

Defect Assessment & Ladder - Sizing Up Solutions

  • Defect Analysis (5 S's):

    • Site: Location, aesthetic subunits (e.g., nasal ala), risk zones (H/M/L).
    • Size & Shape: Dimensions (cm), geometry.
    • Structures (Depth): Skin, subcutaneous, muscle, cartilage, bone.
    • Surrounding Skin: Laxity, vascularity, scars, XRT changes.
    • Special Factors: Functional (eyelid, lip) & cosmetic impact.
  • Reconstructive Ladder: Simple to complex.

-   **Options:** Secondary intention → Primary closure → Grafts → Local flaps → Regional/Free flaps.

High-Yield: Prioritize "like-with-like" tissue replacement & respect aesthetic subunit boundaries for best facial reconstruction.

Local Flaps - Facial Fixer-Uppers

Local flaps use adjacent skin (best color/texture match) for repair. Classified by movement:

  • Advancement: Slides forward (e.g., V-Y, rectangular). For small defects.
  • Rotation: Pivots around a point (e.g., semicircular). For scalp, cheek.
  • Transposition: Lifted over skin into defect.
    • Rhomboid (Limberg): For 60°/120° defects. 📌 "Lazy S".
    • Bilobed: Two lobes, often 90° apart.
    • Z-plasty: Lengthens/reorients scars.
  • Interpolation: Pivoted on pedicle (staged).
    • Paramedian Forehead Flap (PMMF): Supratrochlear a.; for large nasal defects.
    • Nasolabial: Cheek to nose/lip.

Bilobed flap diagram for facial reconstruction

⭐ Paramedian Forehead Flap (PMMF): Axial flap (supratrochlear a.), workhorse for major nasal reconstruction (tip/ala).

Skin Grafts - Patch & Proceed

  • Autologous transfer of epidermis & variable dermis; for defects unsuitable for local flaps.
  • Types:
    • FTSG (Full-Thickness): Epidermis + entire dermis.
      • Donors: Postauricular, supraclavicular.
      • Pros: ↓Contraction, better cosmesis.
      • Cons: Needs good bed, limited size.
    • STSG (Split-Thickness): Epidermis + partial dermis.
      • Donors: Thigh, buttock (dermatome).
      • Pros: Large areas, ↑take rate.
      • Cons: ↑Contraction, ↓cosmesis.
  • Graft "Take" (Survival) Stages:
    1. Imbibition (Plasmatic): 0-48 hrs (adherence, nutrients).
    2. Inosculation: 48-72 hrs (vessel anastomosis).
    3. Revascularization: >72 hrs (new vessel growth).
  • Failure Causes: Poor bed vascularity, infection, hematoma, shear. Skin graft reconstruction of facial defect

⭐ STSG donor sites heal by re-epithelialization from remaining dermal adnexal structures (hair follicles, sweat glands).

High‑Yield Points - ⚡ Biggest Takeaways

  • BCC is most common; Mohs surgery for highest cure rate & tissue preservation.
  • SCC has higher metastatic risk, especially in immunosuppressed or Marjolin's ulcers.
  • Melanoma needs wide excision & SLNB for lesions > 0.8 mm or adverse features.
  • Reconstruction uses the reconstructive ladder: direct closure, grafts, local/regional/free flaps.
  • Local flaps (e.g., nasolabial, forehead) offer excellent color/texture match.
  • Flap choice depends on defect size/location, tissue availability, & patient factors.
  • Respecting facial aesthetic subunits is key for optimal cosmesis and scar camouflage.
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Practice Questions: Facial Skin Cancer Reconstruction

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