Reconstructive surgery Perth

 

The vast majority of plastic surgery procedures are reconstructive surgeries. They are performed to restore function after trauma, to repair or to reshape body areas after birth defects, infections, tumours or disease.

 

You may have had a mastectomy or a partial mastectomy (lumpectomy). Or you may soon have a mastectomy because you’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer, or at very high risk of developing it. In these cases, you may want to know your options to rebuild your breast or breasts.

During a breast reconstruction procedure we can also reconstruct your nipple. We will make a small incision at the site where the nipple will be made and form it into a nipple shape. About three months after the surgery the new nipple and areola can be tattooed.

Though breast reconstruction restores the shape of your breast, it won’t restore the sensation to the breast or the nipple. Over time, sensation might come back, but it won’t be the same as it was before the mastectomy.

 

Skin cancer is the most common cancer in Australia. Most skin cancers are removed surgically and if the cancer is small, it’s a quick and easy procedure. Most skin cancers are non-melanoma skin cancers; this means they rarely spread to other parts of the body.

For a melanoma, a highly malignant type of skin cancer, we often need to make a much wider and deeper excision. In many cases, this will require a skin graft or skin flap to repair the defect.

Melanoma can also spread through your body, and to find out if it has, we may do extra investigations.

Lymph node mapping and sentinel lymph node biopsy: this is a surgical procedure to check if the melanoma has spread to your lymphatic system. During a sentinel lymph node procedure, we identify the sentinel lymph node, which is the first lymph node to which cancer cells may have spread. We will remove this node, and examine it to check if cancer cells are present.

 

Your hands are very complex because they are made up of bones, joints, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels and nerves. As you can imagine, hand surgery is very delicate, and that’s why we often use microsurgery when it comes to hand surgery. It means that we use a microscope to repair structures such as blood vessels and nerves, because they are less than a few millimetres in diameter.

When is reconstructive hand surgery needed?

 

Lower limb reconstruction is often referred to as lower extremity reconstruction. It involves the leg, thigh and foot. You may need reconstructive surgery because you have seriously injured your lower limb, because cancer has been removed or because of a large chronic wound. No matter what motivates your surgeon to recommend a reconstructive procedure, the goal of lower limb reconstruction is to avoid amputation and to improve form and function.

Complex lower limb trauma often requires complex reconstructive techniques to ‘save the limb.

 

Trauma, burns, infection and cancer surgery can affect facial function and your appearance.

 

Reconstructive surgery is often required in the field of burn care. The goal is to improve both the cosmetic appearance of burn scars and to restore function. Surgery will help improve basic functions and will also help to make scars less noticeable.

Burns reconstruction and acute burn care is a personal passion for Dr Rawlins, and he is involved in local, national and international research in this area. Jeremy Rawlins is the President of the Australia/New Zealand Burn Association.

 

In Perth, Dr Jeremy Rawlins is proud to offer bespoke reconstructive plastic surgery, and he is known for his surgical expertise in complex plastic surgery procedures. Highly technical work helps him maintain and expand his skill set and techniques. But it’s also about communicating with you as a person.

Reconstructive surgery is performed to restore function after disease or trauma (injury). Typically, reconstructive plastic surgery is medically necessary. That’s why it is covered by most private health policies.