What Was Done
Your procedure involved removal of a skin lesion and closure of the surgical wound using sutures.
- Simple, layered, or complex closure may have been performed.
- Some procedures involve flap repair, skin graft, wide local excision, or re-excision.
- The removed tissue has been sent to pathology for examination.
What Is Normal
- Mild to moderate discomfort is common during the first several days.
- Pain often peaks during the first 24 to 48 hours, then gradually improves.
- Swelling may increase during the first 48 to 72 hours before improving.
- Bruising may develop and spread beyond the immediate surgical area.
Expected Changes
- Tightness or pulling around the incision is common.
- Itching can occur as the wound heals.
- Temporary numbness around the incision is common.
- Scars may feel firm, thickened, or lumpy during healing.
Bleeding
A small amount of spotting on the dressing is normal.
- Remain calm.
- Sit or lie down.
- Apply firm direct pressure with clean gauze.
- Maintain uninterrupted pressure for 30 minutes.
- Do not repeatedly lift the dressing to check the wound.
- If bleeding continues after two attempts, contact the clinic or seek medical attention.
Patients Taking Blood Thinners
Patients taking aspirin, clopidogrel, warfarin, apixaban, rivaroxaban, or dabigatran may experience more bruising and bleeding than usual.
Never stop prescribed blood thinners unless specifically instructed by your treating physician.
Dressing Care
- Keep the initial dressing clean and dry for the period recommended by your surgeon.
- Unless instructed otherwise, leave the dressing intact for 48 hours.
- After removal, shower normally.
- Gently clean the area with mild soap and water.
- Pat dry and avoid scrubbing.
Steri-Strips & Showering
- Leave Steri-Strips in place.
- They may get wet during showering.
- They usually fall off naturally within 7 to 14 days.
- You may generally shower after 48 hours unless instructed otherwise.
- Avoid swimming, hot tubs, lakes, oceans, saunas, steam rooms, and long baths until fully healed.
Wound Care
Keep the incision clean and avoid products that may delay healing.
- Avoid hydrogen peroxide.
- Avoid alcohol.
- Avoid iodine solutions.
- Avoid harsh antiseptics.
Activity Restrictions
For at least 2 weeks, avoid activities that may stretch or strain the surgical site.
- Heavy lifting or weight training.
- Running or vigorous exercise.
- Golf, tennis, or pickleball.
- Heavy yard work or snow shoveling.
- Any activity causing stretching of the surgical site.
Location-Specific Instructions
- Face: swelling and bruising may be significant; sleeping with the head elevated may help.
- Scalp: wash hair gently and avoid hair colouring or chemical treatments until fully healed.
- Chest, back, and shoulders: these areas are under tension and scar widening is more common.
- Lower legs: healing may take longer. Elevate the leg when possible and limit prolonged standing.
Smoking & Nicotine
Smoking, vaping, cigars, nicotine patches, and nicotine gum significantly increase the risk of delayed healing, infection, wound separation, and poor scar formation.
Signs of Infection
Contact the clinic if you develop:
- Increasing redness, pain, or swelling.
- Yellow or green drainage.
- Bad odour.
- Fever or chills.
- Increasing warmth around the wound.
Wound Separation
Contact the clinic if the wound opens. Do not attempt to repair it yourself.
Pathology Results
All tissue specimens are examined by a pathologist. Some specimens may require:
- Special stains or additional sections.
- Molecular studies.
- Consultation with dermatopathologists, soft tissue pathologists, or melanoma specialists.
- A delay in results does not necessarily indicate a serious diagnosis.
Scar Management & Sun Protection
- All surgical procedures produce scars.
- No physician can guarantee a scar-free result.
- Scars continue to mature for up to 18 months.
- Use SPF 30 or higher, protective clothing, hats, and shade when possible.
- Continue sun protection for at least one year.
When to Seek Urgent Medical Attention
- Uncontrolled bleeding.
- Rapidly expanding swelling.
- Severe infection.
- Fever greater than 38.5°C.
- Difficulty breathing.
- Severe allergic reaction.
- Significant wound separation.
- Severe pain not relieved by medication.
Important Information for Skin Cancer Patients
Even when surgery is successful, additional surgery or pathology review may occasionally be required. Future skin cancers may also develop elsewhere.
- Margins may occasionally be involved.
- Further excision may be recommended.
- Additional pathology review may be necessary.
- Lifelong skin surveillance is strongly recommended.
- Patients with a history of skin cancer have a higher risk of developing additional skin cancers in the future.
- Monthly self-examinations are recommended.
Contact Information
For routine questions, contact the clinic during regular business hours. For urgent concerns outside office hours, contact your family physician, attend an urgent care clinic, or proceed to the nearest emergency department.
SimcoDerm Medical & Surgical Dermatology Centre
705-503-6333