Mohs Surgery (cont.)
What is reconstruction? Will I have a scar?
Reconstruction is repairing or fixing the wound.
Repairing or closing the wound may involve having your surgeon stitch the
wound closed side by side. Sometimes an area may heal best by letting the wound
heal by itself naturally without stitches. Additional reconstruction options
include using a skin graft, moving a flap of skin, and plastic-surgery closure.
Shared decision-making is very important with this issue and it can help if
you are involved by reviewing how you prefer to repair the wound. Your Mohs
surgeon may make some recommendations on how to close your wound.
The main goal with Mohs surgery is to remove the skin cancer first. Once the
cancer is cleared out, then your Mohs surgeon will look at options of how to
best fix the area. The goal of Mohs is to clear skin cancer, achieve the
smallest scar, and preserve normal tissue.
In general, when you cut the skin, there will be some type of scar.
Some people heal easier than others. Some scars are more noticeable depending on
the location and skin type.
There are many options for treatment of surgical scars, including lasers, scar
creams and gels, cortisone injections, and many other choices depending on the
scar. You may want to discuss ways to help minimize scarring with your doctor at
your stitch-removal appointment.
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| From top: (top) intra-op wound; (middle) sutured wound; (bottom) healed post-op site |
Next: What are alternatives for Mohs surgery? »
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