Follow Randy Stewart’s path from a childhood spent outdoors to skin cancer survivor. Gain insights into treatment challenges and the need for sun protection.

Published: January 13, 2025

Like many boys of his generation, Randy Stewart, age 76, grew up playing and working outside on the family farm. Other than summer heat, Randy rarely thought about the sun. In the 1950s, sunscreen wasn’t readily available, and Randy was never one to wear a hat. In fact, he admits he dislikes them.

Today, he’s a bit more cautious about how much time he spends in the sun. In the past three years, Randy has had two basal cell carcinoma skin cancers removed from his face, the first requiring significant reconstruction due to the lesion’s proximity to the left side of his nose and eye socket.

Randy said he didn’t think too much about the initial spot at first. When it grew more noticeable, he asked his primary care physician about it. According to Randy, his family medicine physician, Karalee Bessinger, M.D., at Norton Community Medical Associates primary care in Carrollton, Kentucky, referred him to a dermatologist in LaGrange, Kentucky. That doctor wanted to refer him to a facility in Louisville, Kentucky, because of the lesion’s location and the intricate surgery it would take to remove it.

Not one for city traffic, Randy sought another opinion, turning to Jonathan Hanson, M.D., otolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat specialist) with Norton King’s Daughters’ Health in Madison, Indiana. Dr. Hanson met Randy in January 2022 and assured him that he could remove the lesion and provide any necessary reconstruction.

“The art of facial reconstructive surgery takes into account a lot of factors,” said Dr. Hanson, adding that about 15% of his practice includes skin cancer removals on the face, ears, head and neck. “Elasticity of the skin varies from the nose to the cheek to the eye. It’s also important to factor in the shape and location of a patient’s natural skin lines and contours. The goal is to meet surgical needs while minimizing any noticeable incisions when healing is complete.”

During Randy’s first surgery, Dr. Hanson opened a large flap on the left side of Randy’s face, following the natural skin lines under his eye to the edge of his mouth. After fully removing the cancerous lesion, he carefully stitched the seam back together using the natural skin folds along his cheek and eye. Today, you would never know Randy underwent significant facial surgery.

“He’s a fabulous doctor,” Randy said. “He told me exactly what he was going to do and followed up with everything he said he was going to do.”

In May 2024, Randy returned to Dr. Hanson for a second area of concern: an elongated bump just below his right eye. A less extensive surgery was needed, and Dr. Hanson again developed a plan of action and executed it perfectly.

“One reason I enjoy the work is the creativity,” Dr. Hanson said. “Every face and every person is unique. There’s no cookbook or recipe.”

After a life spent farming, working at a factory and serving his country in the Army, Randy relishes his slower pace. He enjoys being home, spending time in his self-proclaimed man cave and watching car racing on television. He and his wife, Carolyn, still live on a 60-acre farm outside Carrollton, near family and friends.

These days on the farm, one thing is different. If you see Randy outside mowing or working on a project, he’s wearing a straw hat. It’s a small price to pay to help keep the sun off his face.

“The earlier we find skin cancers, the better,” Dr. Hanson said. “The smaller they are, we get much better results. It’s easy to ignore them. Any spot that is raised or pigmented or grows or changes needs to be reviewed by a family provider. If they think it’s suspicious, the patient can be referred for follow-up.”