Restoring Your Skin’s Beauty

Our skin is our largest organ, covering our entire body with its soft, protective layers. But sometimes, birth disfigurements, diseases, or accidents can leave our skin looking a little worse for wear. That’s where the expert providers at Rochester Regional Health’s Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery come in. We treat a wide range of reconstructive skin procedures, helping you find confidence in your skin once more.

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Reconstructive Skin Procedures

Offering high-quality results, our providers are specially trained to treat a variety of conditions, including lesions, melanomas, reconfiguring scars, and grafting skin. Whatever the reason you are seeing reconstructive surgery, you are in experienced, compassionate hands.

Skin Lesions

Skin lesions are any type of abnormal growth that develops on the surface of the skin. They may be benign (non-cancerous), precancerous, or malignant (cancerous).

The most common benign skin lesions we treat are:

• Cysts: A circular, raised bump filled with fluid or semi-solid fluid. Cysts are firm and can range in size, appearing mostly on the upper body or face.
• Lipomas: Also known as fatty tumors, these are benign lesions composed of fat cells.
• Moles: Also known as nevi, moles are usually brown or pink lesions on the skin that are round in shape. They can be found anywhere on the body and appear at any stage of life. Moles are usually harmless; however, if a mole changes shape, color, size, or begins to bleed/crust, it might signify melanoma—a type of skin cancer.
• Skin Tags: Also known as acrochordon, skin tags are soft small, skin-colored growths that occur most often in body creases and folds. Removal is not usually medically necessary unless they are causing cosmetic concern or are in a position that irritates. 
• Warts: A raised, rough bump that may be found on the skin or mucous membranes. Warts may occur singly or in groups and can develop on numerous parts of the body, although they are usually found on the hands or feet.
• Seborrheic keratosis: Typically, brown, black, or light tan lesions that are round and look scaly and slightly raised. They usually appear on the head, neck, chest, or back. They don't require medical treatment, but you may decide to have them removed if they become irritated by clothing or you don't like how they look.

Our experienced plastic surgeons can remove the lesion with minimal trauma to surrounding tissue and the best possible aesthetic result, whether for medical or cosmetic reasons. Schedule a consultation with us so that we may assess and determine an appropriate treatment for you.

Cyst Removal

A cyst is an abnormal sac of tissue that can appear anywhere on the body but is most often found on the face and scalp. While usually benign (non-cancerous) and slow-growing, cysts can rupture or become infected which is why careful removal is often recommended.

Common cysts our experts remove include:

• Epidermoid Cysts: Common on the face, these cysts result in small, hard bumps that can be tan or yellowish in color.
• Pilar Cysts: Cysts on the scalp that originate from hair root.
• Sebaceous Cysts: Pockets of fluid that form under the skin when the sebaceous glands become blocked. These are firm, round, and can sometimes drain. They are common on the back and neck.

Cysts can occur in men and women of all skin types. They can be caused by skin damage or irritation or may appear for no apparent reason. If you have a cyst that you want to be evaluated and removed, call our experienced plastic surgeons.

Melanoma with Sentinel Nodes

Surgery is often the best way to cure early-stage melanoma (melanoma that has not spread to other areas of your body), as well as treat more advanced melanoma. The experienced plastic surgeons at Rochester Regional Health prioritize completely removing your cancer while also preserving your quality of life. We know that no two melanomas are alike, and we work closely with our oncologist, dermatologist, and imaging specialist colleagues to ensure we are accurately diagnosing and offering the most effective treatment possible.

Used commonly for patients whose melanoma is likely to metastasize (spread) to their lymph nodes, sentinel lymph node biopsy involves the removal of the first lymph node to which cancer cells are most likely to spread. Then, a pathologist will examine your lymph node to see if there are cancer cells present, which arms your team with information to make the right treatment decision for your melanoma.

Scar Revision Surgery

Scars are the unavoidable results of surgery or injury, and their development is often unpredictable. Poor healing can cause disfiguring or unsightly scars, or they may just be noticeable because of their location, shape, or size. Scar revision surgery may be the perfect option if a scar bothers you.

Scar revision surgery can improve the appearance or condition of a scar anywhere on your body and can treat many types of scars, including:

• Contractures - scars that restrict movement
• Discoloration or surface irregularities - do not impair function or cause physical discomfort
• Hypertrophic scars - thick clusters of scar tissue that develop at a wound site
• Keloids - larger than hypertrophic scars, these scars are painful or itchy, or pucker

Your scar type will determine your recommended treatment plan. While no scar can be removed completely, our experienced plastic surgeons can improve the appearance of a scar, making it less obvious.

You may be a good candidate for scar revision surgery if you are a year or more after an injury or surgery.

Skin Grafting

Reconstructive skin grafting can be used to replace damaged or missing skin caused by severe burns, injury, or illness. Skin grafting involves removing healthy skin from one area of the body (known as the donor site) and relocating it to another area of the body (known as the recipient site) to restore appearance and function.

Skin grafts may be used for:

• Breast or nose reconstruction
• Burn reconstruction
• Large wounds that can’t be closed with stitches
• A skin infection that has caused a large amount of skin loss
• Skin cancer surgery
• Venous ulcers, pressure ulcers, or diabetic ulcers that do not heal

Your plastic surgeon will discuss your options depending on the needed skin size and location. Please note that your treatment plan may require multiple procedures done in several stages.