Surgeons at Mass Eye and Ear in Boston have developed an innovative method to help skin cancer patients recover not only their health but also their appearance.
The nose is one of the most common places for skin cancer to develop because it receives so much sun exposure. When cancer is removed, patients can be left with serious cosmetic damage or even breathing issues.
Dr. Linda Lee, a facial plastic surgeon at Mass Eye and Ear, explained the clinic’s goal: “One year after surgery, your cancer is gone, your reconstruction is complete, and no one in a brightly lit room can tell you had surgery.”
To make this possible, surgeons use skin from the forehead to rebuild the damaged nose. They attach the skin to the tip of the nose, where it remains for several weeks.
“In the beginning, the skin flap is like a little hose bringing blood to the graft,” said Dr. Lee. “Once it settles and survives, we perform a second minor surgery to remove the extra skin. That part just gets discarded.”
Mass Eye and Ear performs more of these complex nasal reconstructions than most other medical centers in the country. According to Dr. Lee, the team focuses on restoring the patient’s appearance as naturally as possible.
Jeanmarie Finocchio, 61, underwent this treatment after being diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma, the most common form of skin cancer. Despite years of sun protection in adulthood, the damage was already done from her teenage years.
“I was always under an umbrella, covered up,” Finocchio said. Yet two years ago, she found a small white patch on her nose. After four surgeries to remove the cancer, she was left with a deep hole.
“I could see the cartilage and inside of my nose,” she recalled.
The reconstruction process, surprisingly, was not painful for her. Finocchio said her friends and family were shocked by the results.
“They say, ‘I can’t believe you grew a nose,’” she said with a laugh.
Dr. Lee acknowledged that the procedure can be difficult at first. “It is very scary in the beginning because you look different. But in the end, most patients are glad they did it.”
For Finocchio, the most important outcome is that she is now cancer-free.
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