Double board-certified Facial Plastic Surgeon Dr. Sang W. Kim of the Natural Face™ Clinics offer skin defect surgery for patients residing in the Syracuse metropolitan area and Central New York cities including Ithaca, and Rochester.
Our surgeons specialize in plastic and reconstructive surgery exclusively in the face, head, and neck. Our referral network for evaluation and treatment of skin lesion and cancer comes from the primary care practices and skin care specialists in Syracuse and the Central New York area including Ithaca, and Rochester.
SKIN LESIONS IN FACE, HEAD, AND NECK AREAS
Over the years, we have developed a collaborative partnership with the pathologists at Clearpath Diagnostic Lab. The group has one of the most extensive expertise in the dermatopathologic diagnosis in our area. We are able to provide a coordinated, same day excision, diagnosis, and reconstruction in our private practice setting.
If you have been diagnosed with skin cancer, or have a lesion that has been concerning you, please call us for an appointment. Most lesions are considered medical necessity and will be covered by your health insurance. Alternatively, if you wish to self-pay or the lesion is considered cosmetic in nature, then we can provide you with the detailed cost of the procedure which includes the dermatopathologic diagnosis by our partnered pathologists.
What to expect on your procedure day
If the skin lesion of concern has been confirmed to be cancer, typically you will be scheduled for a mid-morning appointment. Most lesion removals are performed with local anesthesia but mild sedative medication can be provided if requested by the patient in advance. We begin with excision of the lesion and the surrounding tissue to ensure complete and clean margin. Usually within an hour, our pathologists are able to let us know whether we have achieved excision of the lesion and adequate clean margin of the surrounding area. Next, we will proceed with the repair of the skin defect. The vast majority of the skin defects are repaired in our office procedure room under local anesthesia. Patients should be able to go home by late morning/early afternoon and return for suture removal typically in 1 week.
Patient had basal cell carcinoma with full thickness defect measuring 2.5cm
Scar revision
The face, head, and neck are very important aesthetic areas. Sometimes our patients, or those who underwent excision by another physician, may develop a scar that healed with suboptimal cosmetic appearance. We can help improve on those scars through various revision procedures such as steroid injection, re-excision and repair of the scar, dermabrasion, laser resurfacing, light therapy, or even hair transplantation to improve and camouflage the existing scar.
If you have a visible scar from trauma or surgery that bothers you, please call us for an appointment. While we cannot guarantee perfect repair of all scars, we can always improve the appearance of the scar through numerous tools that are available to us.
Patient had 3cm defect after removal of squamous cell carinoma
These are some examples of the before and after pictures of the skin defect repair. We understand that having conspicuous scar or skin cancer in the face, head, and neck areas can be a daunting and stressful situation in one’s life. These patients have graciously agreed to share their pictures for us to help reassure for others who are going through what they have gone through. More patient cases will be available for viewing at our clinic.
Patient had 3cm defect after removal of squamous cell carinoma
Double board-certified Facial Plastic Surgeon Dr. Sang W. Kim at Natural Face™ Clinics specialize in the aesthetic enhancement of the face, head, and neck, exclusively. Patients come to see us from the Syracuse metropolitan area and Central New York area including Ithaca, and Rochester. At Natural Face™ Clinics, we specialize in restoring the youthful neck contour, tired appearance of the brows and eyes, and skin laxity. We offer customized treatment, both surgical and non-surgical, including facelift, eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty), nose surgery (rhinoplasty), brow lift, neck lift, and skin resurfacing. Find out more by scheduling your personal consultation today.