South Africa is known for its sunny weather, majestic beaches and outdoor activities with breathtaking scenery. Unfortunately, this contributes to skin cancer being one of the most common cancers seen in South Africa, especially in Cape Town. While skin cancers can be found anywhere on the body, they usually occur on areas mostly exposed to the sun - such as the face, head and neck.

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What can I expect?

There are many ways – surgical and non-surgical – to remove skin cancers, depending on the type and extent of the skin cancer. In the more advanced skin cancers where there has been extensive destruction to tissues – for instance permanent damage to the nose or ear structures – plastic surgical reconstruction of the areas may be required to restore them to their previous appearance. Sometimes, more than one procedure is needed in order to achieve the best results. You will be advised on this though, based on your individual, unique case.

 

Reconstructive techniques include skin grafts, simple scar revision, restoration of body parts or free flaps to repair the damage.