The eyelids are delicate and complex structures that perform essential functions. They are also important to your appearance.
If you’ve been diagnosed with a skin cancer on your eyelid or near your eye, you’ll want to ensure that it’s safely removed while giving you the best possible functional and aesthetic result.
There are several types of skin cancer that affect the eyelid and area around the eye. The vast majority of skin cancers are basal cell carcinomas. Other common ones are squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma.
While some cancers around the eye are relatively simple to manage, others are complex. It is essential to remove all of the tumour while preserving the function of the eyelid and the appearance of the area.
Successful treatment of skin cancer around the eye requires an ability to assess and manage the eye as well as deal with the soft tissues in this area. A ophthalmologist with oculoplastic surgery expertise is uniquely trained to address all the issues you will face.
Other practitioners including plastic surgeons, head and neck surgeons, dermatologists and GPs with an interest in skin cancer are not specifically trained in dealing with the eye.
When you first visit Dr Parker, he will be able to advise you on the most effective approach to treatment. If your case is complex, he may involve a multidisciplinary team with other health care professionals to ensure that you get the best possible outcome.
There are only a few situations where skin cancer around the eye is treated with radiotherapy, cryotherapy or topical treatment. Surgery is the most widely-used treatment and there are different types of surgery available:
After a skin cancer is removed, you will need to have the area expertly reconstructed to achieve a functional, comfortable and aesthetically-pleasing result.
Dr Parker’s approach to reconstruction depends on the location and amount of tissue removed as well as the quality of surrounding tissues.
A variety of techniques can be used to reconstruct defects in this area. These include:
Skin grafts and flaps are areas of skin taken from nearby or another part of your body and placed over the wound to re-construct larger defects. The skin obtained needs to match the eyelid skin as closely as possible. The most common sites for obtaining the skin graft are:
Often, a combination of techniques are used. Some of these are done in conjunction with other surgeons, including plastic surgeons and head and neck surgeons.
In Australia, skin cancer around the eye is very common and many straightforward tumours are successfully managed by a single surgeon. More complex tumours, however, are best managed with the help of a multidisciplinary team. These teams are usually run through public hospitals and can involve surgeons, oncologists, pathologists, radiologists, and allied health practitioners.
Dr Parker will advise you if this is required in your case and make the necessary arrangements.
If you have skin cancer around your eye, ask your treating doctor for a referral to Dr Parker who can plan your treatment.
If you have skin cancer around your eye, ask your treating doctor for a referral to Dr Parker who can plan your treatment.