In addition to correcting cuts and other surface wounds, our reconstructive surgeons regularly treat both cancerous and non-cancerous growths and issues with supporting structures beneath the skin.
From the treatment of skin cancers of the head and neck to limb salvage and abdominal reconstruction, our providers are committed to improving your health and function.
General reconstructive procedures include:
Excision is the removal of a skin cancer along with some of the healthy skin tissue around it. The primary benefit of removing skin cancer through skin cancer resection is the total removal of the cancerous cells. It is a more direct approach than alternatives such as radiation and chemotherapy.
Though skin cancer resection and closure can leave behind scarring, it can give you peace of mind knowing you have effectively removed the problem skin. If the resulting skin defect is in a cosmetically sensitive location, or the defect requires extensive reconstruction, our team can perform reconstructive surgery to help you heal and get back to feeling like yourself.
Performed in collaboration with orthopedic and vascular surgeons, limb salvage (or limb-sparing) surgery restores and reconstructs upper and lower limb injuries following trauma, infection, or cancer.
The goal of limb salvage is to preserve the limb by removing the part of the bone involved with the tumor and some of the tissues that surround it. While the bone is occasionally replaced with an implant, bone tissue with its blood supply (artery and vein) may be surgically transferred from one part of the body to another area for the purpose of bony reconstruction. Known as “free flap reconstruction” or a “free tissue transfer,” the procedure aids in faster healing and better restoration of both form and function.
Reconstructive surgery of the upper extremity – including the arm, forearm and hand – has progressed significantly due to advances in microsurgical techniques, which make tissue transplants and tendon, muscle, and nerve transfers possible.
By replacing lost tissue, these innovations help restore both the function and appearance of the affected limb, resulting in patients returning to normal functioning earlier than previously possible.
Usually involving the tibia bone, feet, and knee, lower extremity reconstruction is complex due to the variation of factors involved, including injury location and extensiveness, tissue types, and patient background.
Among the most common surgical techniques are fasciocutaneous flaps, muscle flaps, tissue expansion, free tissue transfer and microsurgery.
As with the upper extremity, the goal of lower extremity reconstruction is to restore a limb function, such as sensation or motion.
Abdominal wall reconstruction is a surgical procedure used to restore the structural and functional integrity of the abdominal muscles. A very complex reconstructive surgery, it is primarily used for hernia repair, scar repair, and repair of previous surgical damage.
Our plastic and reconstructive surgeons restore the structural and functional integrity of the abdominal muscles, as well as rebuild skin and fascia if is missing from a previous surgery. It is most often performed on patients who have had unsuccessful hernia repair operations.
For an evaluation or patient referral, contact Summa Health Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery today. We offer four convenient locations, in Akron, Green, Hudson and Wadsworth.
