Nobody is excited to hear that they have cancer. However, there are some cancers that are better to hear you have than others. As a less invasive form of cancer, skin cancer is typically easily treatable, and there isn’t much recovery involved. As one of the most precise forms of skin cancer treatment, Mohs is a surgery that involves removing individuals layers of skin to evaluate them for cancerous cells. Because Mohs is a surgical procedure that is noninvasive, it can be done in our outpatient facility in just a few hours with the assistance of a local anesthetic. As one of the most important parts of any surgical procedure, it’s important to know how to recover from it. Read on to learn more.
Pain Relievers
Following your Mohs surgery, you may experience some bleeding at the wound and some pain at the surgical site. To help combat this pain while in recovery, you may be given a painkiller like Ibuprofen to help ease any discomfort. If you have a history of addiction, be sure to tell one of our surgeons or staff.
Avoid the Sun
Once you find out you have skin cancer, the last thing you are going to want to do is go lay out in the sun. As the primary cause of skin cancer, the sun is going to be considered your worse enemy while you are recovery from Mohs. By making your skin more sensitive, Mohs will only increase the likelihood that you will burn and scar after sun exposure. If you do have to go outside, make sure to cover up your wound.
Clean Your Wound
Depending on the severity of your Mohs surgery, you may or may not be given stitches. To protect you against developing an infection, it’s important that you properly clean your wound every day. Following your surgery, you will be given a packet detailed with information on how to clean and care for your wound. If you notice any extreme inflammation, redness, or pus at the incision site, contact our office right away.
To learn more about Mohs and other surgical procedures, contact Associated Plastic Surgeons & Consultants today!
