Indeed, many of the therapies used today for the definitive treatment of disease in the head and neck mandate the use of lengthy incisions. Both disease removal and the anatomic reconstruction that may be required thereafter often require the surgeon to work over a large area, employing access of considerable size.

Happily, the "length" of an incision is not by itself a critical factor in the overall cosmesis of the result. Where the tissues that underlie and support the skin are left inviolate, careful skin repair will usually restore the patient to an excellent appearance. The head and neck surgeon will make every effort to design his access with respect for the cosmetic principals that underpin optimal wound healing.

(Pictured here is the sort of incision commonly made to perform superficial "parotidectomy" for a tumor of the parotid salivary gland.)

Naturally, the surgeon's primary focus will always be to provide adequate treatment of the illness. When such treatment mandates the placement of incisions in less cosmetic locations (than that depicted in this example), the surgeon must do so.

It is also well to note that many operations performed by the head and neck surgeon will involve the removal of supporting tissues whose absence may adversely affect anatomic contours. When significant deformity is likely, the head and neck surgeon (or a plastic surgical colleague) may need to plan for a separate, reconstructive surgical procedure.