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Skin Cancer Explained

How to take care of your skin after skin cancer removal

Helping your skin recover after skin cancer or melanoma surgery
A woman is assessing another's back, underscoring the need for proper skin care after the removal of skin cancer
MoleMap Team
April 27, 2021
3 minutes

Treat­ing skin can­cer usu­al­ly begins with the exci­sion of the skin affect­ed by the can­cer. This may mean a basic burn­ing, more in-depth scrap­ing, or even a com­plete exci­sion of the afflict­ed skin lay­ers to ensure all of the can­cer has been removed.

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Skin Can­cer Removal Recovery

Car­ing for the wound prop­er­ly is vital to increase heal­ing, pre­vent infec­tion, and min­imise scar­ring, which, depend­ing on the loca­tion of the can­cer, can be very impor­tant to patients.

Skin can­cer recur­rence is rel­a­tive­ly low (less than 5% in most cas­es), but those who have had Basal Cell Car­ci­no­ma or Squa­mous Cell Car­ci­no­ma removed have a ten-fold increase in their skin can­cer risk.

But tak­ing care of the wound prop­er­ly can help to decrease the risk of a recur­rence by help­ing to boost immu­ni­ty, pro­tect the skin, and make patients more aware of skin changes, which could warn of pos­si­ble issues.

Wound Care Post – Skin Can­cer Removal

While most skin can­cer wounds are rel­a­tive­ly small, it’s impor­tant to under­stand that they must be treat­ed as any oth­er sur­gi­cal wound.

Remem­ber, good blood sup­ply to the wound is essen­tial for the body to pro­duce enough col­la­gen to heal even the small­est wound. Infec­tion is always a risk, so keep­ing the wound clean is essen­tial dur­ing the heal­ing process.

Here are some basic tips for wound care fol­low­ing your mole removal but remem­ber to always fol­low the instruc­tions and advice of your med­ical professional:

  • Remove the dress­ing about 24 hours after surgery.
  • Wash with clean soapy water. (While you should nev­er soak a fresh wound, it is okay to shower.)
  • Pat dry care­ful­ly. (Don’t rub.)
  • Apply antibi­ot­ic oint­ments and any oth­er med­ica­tions your doc­tor gave you.
  • Lim­it your activ­i­ties. Don’t stretch and pull around the wound. Give the wound a chance to heal by lim­it­ing your phys­i­cal activ­i­ties for about two weeks.
  • Keep the wound moist. Dry wounds heal slow­ly, and they tend to scar more, so be sure to keep your wound well moisturised.
  • Pro­tect your scar. Scarred skin is more sus­cep­ti­ble to dam­age from the sun, so be sure to apply sun­screen lib­er­al­ly for about six months after surgery.
  • Fol­low all of your doctor’s instructions.

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Skin Can­cer Removal After­care: Signs to Watch Out For

While most skin can­cer removal surg­eries are con­duct­ed with no prob­lems, it is impor­tant to watch out for bleed­ing and infec­tion to ensure a safe out­come. If you notice that your wound is bleed­ing or it is becom­ing red, swelling, or show­ing oth­er signs of infec­tion, call your doc­tor right away.

Learn More about Skin Can­cer Removal and Aftercare

Whether you're concerned about skin cancer risk or have recently undergone skin cancer removal and seek ongoing monitoring for early detection, reach out to MoleMap for comprehensive skin check and full body mole check.

MoleMap skin cancer clinic exists to give patients peace of mind by achiev­ing one of two out­comes: ​“Great, I know that I don’t have melanoma” or ​“I’m glad it was found ear­ly so it can be treated.”

MoleMap Team

At MoleMap we check, detect and treat skin cancer. Find out how you can protect your skin at your nearest MoleMap skin cancer clinic.

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MoleMap specialises in skin cancer detection, diagnosis, proactive monitoring and treatment. Want the best protection against melanoma and other skin cancers? Get your skin and moles checked early and often at a MoleMap skin cancer clinic.