Plastic Surgery – NHS & Private

We are a Care Quality Commission regulated skin Plastic Surgery & Dermatology clinic based in Royal Wootton Bassett, on the edge of Swindon in Wiltshire. We provide NHS and Private Dermatology, Plastic Surgery and Medical Aesthetics Skin Care in locations across Wiltshire.

Plastic Surgery

Plastic surgery is used to repair or reconstruct damaged tissue and skin. It aims to restore the function and the appearance of the damaged or deformed area.

Plastic surgery can be used to treat issues that you are born with, for example a cleft palate or webbed fingers. It can be used to treat scars and burns or other significant injuries. And you might also have plastic surgery if you have had to have surgery to remove a tumour or cancerous tissue.

Plastic surgery is different from cosmetic surgery, which is concerned with achieving a desired appearance. Plastic surgery is primarily concerned with restoring and preserving function, though improved appearance is often an added benefit.

Many of our consultants are both plastic surgeons and cosmetic surgeons, though some will specialise in only one of the two.

Plastic Surgeons

Plastic surgery has two main components: reconstructive plastic surgery which is all about restoring function and appearance to the human body after illness or accident and aesthetic (often called “cosmetic”) plastic surgery, which is primarily to change the appearance from choice. Unlike most surgical specialties that are defined by an anatomical area, plastic surgery is defined by the surgical techniques that are carried out.

Reconstructive procedures are the mainstay of nearly all plastic surgeons’ work: covering all aspects of wound healing and reconstruction after congenital, acquired and traumatic problems, with aesthetic surgery playing a smaller but important part in their working week.

Due to the breadth and application of plastic surgery, these surgeons work closely with a very wide range of teams from other specialties. Much reconstructive work is required following major operations and it is the refinement of plastic surgical techniques that have made some other areas of surgery possible. Surgical oncologists, ENT and maxillofacial surgeons all rely on the reconstructive techniques developed by plastic surgeons.

Another area of practice related to plastic surgery techniques is aesthetic surgery, where the body is altered to bring about an improvement in appearance rather than to treat disease. These procedures are not usually available on the NHS.

Plastic Surgery @ Cotswold Surgical Partners

At Cotswold Surgical Partners, we focus on the below specialities of Plastic Surgery:

• Skin – excision and reconstruction of benign and malignant skin lesions & management of skin cancer
• Cancer – removal of malignant skin lesions
• Aesthetic surgery – often called “cosmetic surgery” the changing of appearance by choice and not for the treatment of disease. Although not usually available on the NHS, aesthetic surgical principles inform the reconstructive work that plastic surgeons do and so there are important links between reconstructive and aesthetic procedures. Only procedures under a local anaesthetic are completed at Cotswold Surgical Partners.

Day Case & Outpatients

Cotswold Surgical Partners offer both Day Case and Outpatient procedures.

Outpatient

A simple procedure completed in an outpatient setting, that does not require admitting into an operating theatre.

Day Case

These are more involved procedures than an outpatient, that require a formal admission and discharge process into/out of an operating theatre. You may need some recovery time with us after the operation, but you will be able to go home the same day.

Procedures

The below guide provides some information on the different procedures that may be completed to treat your lesion/s. The procedure chosen will vary upon the condition, it’s location and a variety of factors that our Surgeon will review and discuss with you during your appointment.

Outpatient

Cryotherapy

The term ‘cryotherapy’ literally means ‘treatment using low temperature’ and refers to the removal of surface skin lesions by freezing them. The most commonly used freezing agent or product is liquid nitrogen.

Curettage and cautery

This involves removing a skin lesion by scraping it off, and then heat is applied to the skin surface to cauterise (seal) the blood vessels. This procedure takes a few weeks to completely heal as you will be left with a raw area until the skin heals naturally.

Punch biopsy

Acquires tissue for laboratory examination by taking a small sample of skin from the area of concern. This is then normally stitched closed. For this type of procedure your stitches would normally be removed by your own GP’s practice nurse at a recommended interval post surgery.

Excision with primary closure

This is where the two wound edges are brought together and stitched closed. For this type of procedure your stitches would normally be removed by your own GP’s practice nurse at a recommended interval post surgery.

Day Case

Excision with healing by secondary intention

Occasionally we excise lesions and don’t put a skin graft on, but instead leave them to heal on their own. This is sometimes necessary if the area is too small or if the surgeon feels that a graft would not take well. In this case, the area will heal by ‘secondary intention’. The healing time takes a bit longer but the cosmetic end result will be every bit as good as a skin graft.

Direct Closure

This is where the two wound edges are brought together and stitched closed. For this type of procedure your stitches would normally be removed by your own GP’s practice nurse at a recommended interval post surgery.

Full Thickness Skin Graft

This involves taking a ‘full thickness’ layer of healthy skin from a different area of the body to replace the skin where the lesion has been removed. The area where the new healthy skin is taken from is called the donor site, which is typically in front of your ear, your shoulder or your groin. The decision regarding the donor site will depend on the size of graft required and the proximity to the lesion. The donor site is directly closed (see section ‘Direct Closure’) and then this new healthy skin is stitched in to place where the lesion has been removed. This is called the graft site. The skin graft over the next week should pick up a blood supply from the tissue underneath to keep this new skin viable.

Full-thickness grafts blend in well with the skin around them and tend to have a good cosmetic outcome.

A review appointment will be required and this will be explained following your procedure.

Split Skin Graft

This involves taking a thin layer of skin (as thin as tissue paper) from a different area of the body to replace the skin where the lesion has been removed. The area where the new healthy skin is taken from is called the donor site, which is typically on your thigh. The donor site can often be more uncomfortable than the area where the graft is applied, but taking regular pain relief will help with this. A special dressing is applied to help stop any bleeding and this is covered with padding. The new healthy skin is glued in to place where the lesion has been removed. This is called the graft site. The skin graft over the next week should pick up a blood supply from the tissue underneath to keep this new skin viable.

A review appointment will be required and this will be explained following your procedure.

Local Flap

This involves taking a piece of skin adjacent to the lesion site and moving/rotating it in to replace the skin where the lesion has been removed, but it remains attached by a small section and therefore retains a limited blood supply. A review appointment may be required and this will be explained following your procedure.

Our Services

Our team based in our Skin Care Centre in Royal Wootton Bassett are here to help you if you have any questions about private and NHS referrals or guidance on the range of surgical and non-surgical treatments we provide. You can get in touch through our ‘Contact Us’ page today. Each location offers slightly different services, so please get in touch to find out more.

We provide a range of both day surgeries and minor skin operations under local anaesthetic. Working in partnership with several Plastic Surgeons, each with their own speciality, we can ensure that you receive honest, realistic advice and support on a range of surgical procedures such as skin cancer excisions and other minor surgeries that do not require general anaesthetic.