Amit D. Bhrany, MD is a double-board certified plastic surgeon whose goal is to partner with his patients to provide the best possible care for aesthetic facial rejuvenation and reconstruction, and head and neck surgery. He has been a faculty member of the University of Washington (UW) since 2008 and trains other surgeons in Facial Plastic Surgery and Head and Neck Surgery, both at the UW School of Medicine and as an invited speaker around the country. In addition to taking care of our patients at Seattle Face & Skin, Dr. Bhrany cares for patients at UW Medicine, the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, and Seattle Children’s Hospital. From the moment you contact our office, we focus on your needs to ensure you fully understand the possibilities, limitations, and opportunities available to produce the best outcome for you. Dr. Bhrany is an active member of the AAFPRS (American Academy of Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery).
The Initial Consultation
Lip reconstruction is typically performed to repair a wound after the removal of a skin cancer. Skin cancer is the most common cancer in humans, affecting 1 in 5 Americans over their lifetime, and over 1,000,000 in new cases are diagnosed in the US annually, with the state of Washington among the highest rates. Basal cell cancer is the most common skin cancer followed by squamous cell cancer, and then melanoma. Thankfully, due to slow growth and early detection, dying from skin cancer is very rare.
Since Dr. Bhrany specializes in the treatment and reconstruction of facial skin cancers, you may be referred to him by your primary care physician for evaluation of a skin lesion (bump or ulcer) suspicious of a skin cancer. If you have already been diagnosed with nasal skin cancer, you may be referred to Dr. Bhrany by a dermatologist who specializes in Mohs skin cancer surgery (see more below) to discuss the repair of the subsequent wound after your Mohs surgery. If you are referred to Dr. Bhrany with a suspicious lesion, he may perform a biopsy in the office to identify potential skin cancer.
If the biopsy confirms skin cancer, possible treatment options will be discussed. Mohs skin cancer surgery is most commonly recommended.
Mohs skin cancer surgery is a technique to remove skin cancer that is especially useful for treating skin cancers of the face. Mohs surgery has the highest cure rate while maximizing the amount of normal tissue spared during removal. In other words, Mohs surgery often provides the highest chance you will remain cancer free while achieving the best cosmetic outcome. Typically, the Mohs dermatologist will remove the skin cancer in his or her office, and then you will have your reconstruction either later that day or the next day with Dr. Bhrany. Dr. Bhrany works very closely with a number of Mohs dermatologists in the Seattle area and can guide you through the process of your skin cancer treatment. Depending on the size and location of your skin cancer, there are instances when Dr. Bhrany will both remove the skin cancer (called a wide local excision) and reconstruct the subsequent defect at the same setting without Mohs surgery.
During your consultation, a variety of techniques for lip reconstruction are discussed. A method is chosen that results in the best cosmetic and functional outcome for you (learn more about lip reconstruction here). The details of the procedure and post-operative care are explained, and any questions you may have are answered. Once the plan is confirmed, you meet with Dr. Bhrany’spatient care coordinator to schedule a surgery date.
