Reconstruction of oncologic defects of the eyelid, lips and ear

Non melanomatous skin cancers constitute a major part of the cancers that occur in the face, especially in the darker skinned people. Surgical excision stays as the main modality of treatment in these giving very good cure rates. The major drawback of surgery is the resultant functional and esthetic deformity, which has been considerably reduced with proper application of reconstructive surgery principles. In order to achieve good outcome attention has to be given to understand the anatomy as well as tissue requirement at specific areas of the face. There is a great variation in the reconstructive methods in the different sites. This article reviews briefly the anatomy and methods of reconstruction available for the post cancer excisions involving the lips, eyelids and the auricle.