General Surgery - Local Skin Flap

Local flaps for skin cancer

• Surgery for skin cancer involves removing the lesion as well as some of the surrounding, normal appearing skin
• Larger wounds can’t be brought together and may require a local flap. This is moving the surrounding healthy tissue to cover the wound

What does the procedure involve?

• Skin cancer operations are often carried out under a local anaesthetic. You will have numbing injections to the area where the cancer will be removed as well as the adjacent healthy skin that will be the local flap
• The local flap will be stitched in place. This can be with dissolvable or removable stitches and your surgeon will tell you on the day what they have used
• You will have a dressing in place

What will happen to the flap after surgery?

• You will be seen in the plastic surgery dressing clinic 1 week after your surgery. The specialist nurse will assess how well the flap has healed and advise you on any further measures to be taken

How should I care for my wounds?

• Please keep your dressings clean and dry until you are seen in the dressing clinic
• For the first 48 hours, it is advised to keep the area clean and dry. If the wound is not covered with a dressing, then you can have a shower. If it is covered with a dressing, it is advised to keep the dressing dry and clean until the wound is reviewed in the dressing clinic

Post-operative instructions

• You will need someone to pick you up on the day of surgery as you cannot drive back home
• Avoid any strenuous activity for the first 72 hours
• If your operation is on your head or face, sleep with a couple of pillows at night and nurse with your head up for the first 48 hours
• Please do not plan any holidays within 3 weeks after surgery due to dressing changes and in the unlikely event of potential complications

Risks of flap surgery

• Bleeding: this can range from a small ooze to something a bit bigger. A small amount of bleeding is not uncommon, and it can be stopped by gentle, and persistent pressure for 10-15 minutes
• Infection: if there are signs of redness, warmth and foul smell or pus coming from the wound, please seek medical attention as you may require antibiotics or other treatment
• Flap failure: everyone heals differently. Your flap may not heal as well as we expect it to. If this happens, your surgeon will discuss further treatment options with you
• Wound dehiscence: the wound may break down and require further treatment
• Scarring: all operations will leave a scar

If you have any of the above-mentioned issues, please contact the Plastic surgery dressing clinic on 0161 206 5898 Monday to Friday 8am - 4pm.

You can email photographs of the wound to the plastic specialist nurses for better remote assessment on salford.plastics.nurses@nca.nhs.uk

Over the weekends or out of hours, please attend Salford Royal Accident & Emergency services.