Practical Skin Cancer Surgery

1. Equipment, sutures and design



2. Essential anatomy for skin surgery



3. Local anaesthesia



4. Haemostasis



5. The basics



6. Suturing, knots and closures



7. Operating



8. Flaps



9. Ear, nose and lip



10. Cysts and lipoma



11. Grafts



12. Post-operation



13. What operation where



14. Hints, tips, tricks and reminders

Dermatology is a medical and surgical specialty, and normally those who are at the beginning of their training career or those very enthusiastic about this branch of medicine need a reliable yet readable book to get the theoretical knowledge that is expected. Practical Skin Cancer Surgery is just that book. In its 316 pages, it offers a well-organized step-by-step guide: from essential equipment and Operation Theater set-up, to the very end of the procedures, including postoperative care. And all of it with an understandable language, and tidy tip/warning boxes and tables.

It's an essential resource to start losing your fear to do your first surgeries and to survive the questions that one must be able to answer in any quiz/test and that are most important in a real life scenario. The procedures that it covers in a most extensive way are the basic (like anesthesia, sutures and knots, simple excisions and biopsies) as well as a chapter for cysts and lipomas. The author also introduces more complicated or advanced procedures like skin grafts and flaps (a chapter each) with a practical approach and a superb series of photos, which are quite important to those who are willing to take the adventure of skin surgery.

In conclusion, it's a must read for any GP with an interest in skin surgery as well as dermatology/surgical trainees before going in to more in depth (large and time-consuming books). Its key points are: good photographs from the author's repertoire; it is well organized; and it covers wide yet practical topics. However, you will also need an anatomy atlas for a greater learning experience.

Guillermo Valdés-González

Dermatology Resident, San Luis Potosí, Mexico

Published on DermNet NZ in July, 2014.