About Dermatologic Surgery
Dermatologic Surgery involves use of surgical procedures and minimally invasive techniques to keep the skin healthy, flawless, and rejuvenated. This branch of Dermatology also deals in diagnosis and treatment of various cosmetic problems involving the hair, veins, nails, and the mucous membranes through different approaches, both surgical and nonsurgical.
Dermatologic Surgery has made significant advancements in technology which has transformed the way dermatologic surgeries are being done today. Majority of the procedures are minimally invasive requiring just local anesthesia. These techniques ensures greater patient safety, faster recovery periods, and minimal to no downtime.
Additionally, the results of these procedures have been extremely positive with almost 100% success rate. The research for more advanced techniques in the field of Dermatologic Surgery is still ongoing to come up with procedures which provide patients with a beautiful and flawless natural skin.
Dr. Rajeshwari’s Clinic offers best surgical solutions for skin conditions that are not amenable to conservative treatments with successful results in procedures already carried out.
AcneScar
This treatment involves cutting the scar and decreasing the size of the keloid. This is an effective way to get rid of scars but is only used when other options to deal with the conditions have failed to give the desired results. It is also quite common for the scar to return after it has been removed. To prevent recurrence, the surgeon generally leaves the border of the keloid alone and does not remove it. For further effectiveness, corticosteroids injections may also be given to the patient.
Vitiligo
A vitiligo surgery involves transfer of healthy melanocytes to the area that is affected by vitiligo. This is done by primarily two ways, namely tissue grafting and cell grafting. Tissue grafting is the most common and preferred way of transferring healthy melanocytes. The procedure of choice is named as miniature punch grafting. This procedure involves punching out about 2 mm of skin from the donor site which is normally the thighs or the buttocks and is then placed on the affected area where a spot for receiving the graft is created again by punches.
This is perhaps the safest and the most efficacious vitiligo surgery. However, as is inherent to any surgical procedure there are some complications that may arise. These include but are not limited to graft tissue loss and infection. There may also be certain long term complications of a vitiligo surgery including hyperpigmentation, graft rejection, and inadequate color matching.
ScarRevisions
A scar revision is done in people who have had scars either due to trauma or after a surgical procedure. The degree to which the scars can be improved depends on the size and severity of the scar, the type of the scar, and its location. If the scar is relatively small and minor then it can be removed with a single method. However, if the scar is severe and big then a combination of treatments may be required for optimum results.
Dermabrasions and chemical peel are the most preferred methods for scar revision. However, for scars that are deep within the skin, surgery will be required. The surgical procedure will involve removing the scar in its entirety and then closing the wound with sutures. In some cases, advanced techniques are used for scar revisions like W-plasty or Z-plasty.
Electrosurgery
Electrosurgery is a technique used to get rid of benign and malignant lesions. This technique is best utilized for getting rid of warts, skin tags, moles, corns, and calluses. This technique uses electric current to heat up the affected tissues and destroy them thus treating the skin blemishes. These techniques do not require any suturing done after the procedure and is extremely safe with minimal downtime.
Sclerotherapy
This form of treatment is used mainly to get rid of varicose and spider veins. Sclerotherapy involves injection of a solution directly within the affected vein. The solution then causes irritation of the lining of the vein thereby causing it to collapse and clots the blood around it. With no blood supply to the area, gradually a scar tissue is formed which fades away and the varicose vein is treated.
This treatment causes little to no pain and it takes approximately half an hour for the procedure to be complete. How many veins are injected depends on the location and size of the veins and the overall health status of the patient. Sclerotherapy is an outpatient procedure and the patient can return back to normal activities after about a week.
EarLobe
This procedure is done under a local anesthesia. The skin edges which get torn are completely excised and the fresh skin edges are sutured together. The sutures are then removed after complete healing of the wound within about two weeks. The only downside of this technique is the formation of scars which will require further treatment.
Ear Lobe repair can also be done without having to apply sutures. This is a relatively new technique. The technique has been deemed safe and is done under local anesthesia. The recovery time from this procedure is also quite fast and there are no chances of a scar formation.
SkinCancer
The surgery done for skin cancer is termed as Mohs Surgery. This procedure involves removal of cancerous layers of cells one by one until a tissue is reached that is cancer free. The primary aim of Mohs Surgery is to remove as much of the cancer cells from the skin as possible without causing any damage to the surrounding areas. This procedure is normally done as an outpatient application of local anesthesia.
Nevus Surgery
Small Nevi are easily removed by a simple surgical excision. He excised nevus is removed and the adjoining skin is attached together. If the nevus is congenital and is large in nature then it requires a more extensive surgery where complete replacement of the affected skin is done. The aim of the surgery is to remove as much cells as possible while ensuring that the function is maintained and there is minimal to no scaring.
Cyst and Lipoma
The most effective treatment for lipoma is by way of surgical excision. There are various methods to do this. One is to make a small nick in the area and remove the lipoma in its entirety. This is done under a local anesthetic and is an outpatient procedure. In case if the lipoma is big then a much larger incision will have to be made in order to remove it completely. In this procedure, an incision will be made in the lipoma and a tube will be inserted. The tube is used to remove the mass and the fat cells out completely.
Once a lipoma is removed, a sample will be sent to the laboratory for analysis. This technique of removing lipoma generally leaves a scar behind. A cyst on the other had can be drained, aspirated, or removed surgically. For drainage of a cyst, a small incision will be made on the cyst and it will be allowed to drain. The wound will be packed with gauze that can be removed after a day or two. Aspiration of a cyst is done by inserting a fine needle into the cyst and draining out the fluid thereby shrinking the cyst.
For cysts like ganglion cyst, Baker’s cyst, and dermoid cysts, surgery will have to be done. A local anesthetic will be used to anesthetize the area. An incision will then be made and the cyst will be removed. His procedure in most cases will leave a scar behind which may be big or small depending on the size of the cyst.