Skin Cancer

Excision and Reconstruction

Skin cancers are extremely common as we age, and Dr. McInnes spends 1 day per week doing high volume excision and reconstruction cases of skin cancers located all over the body. With this volume he has experience with all types of difficult reconstruction cases on the face and elsewhere.

Consultation & Procedure

Dr. McInnes treats patients with skin cancer at various locations, including Eagle Ridge Hospital (Port Moody), Royal Columbian Hospital (New Westminster), and most commonly, at Jim Pattison Outpatient Care and Surgical Centre (Surrey). Most patients with skin cancer are seen the same day as their excision. After meeting Dr. McInnes for your consultation, most of the time your surgery will be performed under local anesthetic immediately afterwards, saving you time by minimizing your number of appointments. Dr. McInnes will then mark your skin cancer excision and closure pattern, and anesthetize your skin utilizing a small needle. Various closure techniques are employed, and Dr. McInnes will utilize the technique he feels will give the best aesthetic outcome. In many cases, a straight line closure is possible, but in others he will perform a local flap where he manipulates the surrounding skin to fill the defect. On occasion he will also use skin grafts, where skin is taken from a different part of the body (eg. arm, groin crease, clavicle) and is utilized to fill the defect.

Bigger cases requiring anesthesia will be scheduled at Eagle Ridge Hospital.

Aftercare

After surgery you will be asked to apply pressure to the affected area for 5-10 minutes to minimize any potential bruising. Patients are then discharged home with verbal and written post-operative instructions. (general instruction can be found here) Patients should be driven home by an accompanying adult.

Risks

There are risks associated with your surgery. Please download the consent form designed by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) for a detailed list and description of the risks involved (found here). Risks of surgery will be discussed prior to your consent. It is important to address all your questions directly with Dr. McInnes.

Skin cancer excisions include a small margin of healthy, non-cancerous skin to minimize the risk of recurrence. All excisions get sent off to be assessed by a pathologist to ensure there are negative margins.