After care
What Happens After the Surgery (You are not on your own)
We take pride in our results and understand that the after care of an incision is just as important as the closure. We have several tools at our disposal to guide the incision through the healing phase. We can devise the appropriate combination of treatments for you based on your skin texture and tone as well as the location of your incision. Our after care packages are designed to improve the appearance of new incisions as well as old scars. Talk to your surgeon about these options.
Early
Early after your surgery, we will follow you regularly to monitor the state of your wound healing. Most of your sutures will be removed by 7 days and any bruising or swelling is usually resolved by 10 days. Depending on the location of the surgery, you may be able to return to work or school as soon in as 3-5 days. After suture removal, it is important for our doctors to see you regularly in order to be able to perform early maintenance. Several topical medications and lasers can be employed in this setting to improve the healing time and the appearance of the scar.
Late
We have also developed various protocols for scars that are in a later healing phase. So if you have a previous scar and would like to improve its appearance, we might be able to help you.
After Care Package
Our after care package is custom-made for your specific incision and your skin type. It could include any mixture of the following remedies.
Topicals
Certain topical lotions and ointments have been shown to improve the appearance of a healing incision. Most of them have a combination of vitamins (i.e. Vit E and Vit C), steroids (to decrease the redness) and silicone. These materials are topically applied for 1-3 months and gradually guide the healing of your incision.
Lasers
Certain non-ablative lasers have been used on healing incisions to both speed up the healing process and to improve the final outcome. They work by first decreasing the redness of a healing incision. They also affect the collagen buildup and organization that occurs under a healing incision to improve the appearance of the incision.
Carboxytherapy
Carboxytherapy is the process of injecting Carbon Dioxide gas under the healing incision. It improves blood flow to the incision and speeds up healing, resulting in a quicker, better outcome. The process is painless and takes 15-30 minutes depending on the size of the incision. Although 5-6 weekly treatments are necessary to achieve the optimal results, the difference is marked.
Combination of these therapies typically yields outstanding results. However, in the rare instance when the final result is not as desired, or if you have an old scar that you want to address, we have a multitude of scar revision treatments at our disposal. For further details on these treatments, please click here.
Maintenance
Statistics show that once you have developed one case of skin cancer, you are at a higher risk to develop another. Once your cancer has been removed, the defect reconstructed, and the area well-healed, what can you do to decrease the likelihood of another cancer?
It is even more important to follow the preventive recommendations outlined on this website.
Yearly Screening
If you have had a history of skin cancer, your chance of developing another skin cancer increases. Therefore, it is imperative that you have the entire surface of your skin examined at least once a year by your primary care physician or your dermatologist.
Sun-block
Sun protection continues to be the most essential element in prevention of another skin cancer. For further detail about sunscreens please click here.
Lotions and Creams
Recently, research has shown that certain types of lotions and creams can decrease the likelihood of developing skin cancers. Our surgeons have been on the leading edge of this research and they can assist you in selecting the appropriate lotions and skin care products for your skin.
Lasers & Peels
After removal of the skin cancer, it might be appropriate to treat your skin with lasers and peels to remove any remaining pre-cancerous lesions in order to prevent them from becoming actual cancers. For more information about your options you can click here.
