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Surgical Mole/Lesions Removal
Risks
There are some risks associated with your surgery.
During the surgical consent, the risks of surgery will be discussed. It is important
that you ask Dr. Szeto all of your questions directly. All lesion excisions result in a scar, but in most cases, the scar is hidden in a skin crease. Certain patients are predisposed to develop keloid or hypertrophic scars, but the vast majority of patients have a small, faint scar.
Some common post operative risks may include: Light bruising, swelling is minor, Infection (5% of cases), 5% incision separation
If a complication does occur, patients can be confident that Dr. Szeto has the knowledge and expertise to assist you in managing it.
Many patients have nevi or “moles” they don’t like, or various other benign lumps and bumps, and would like them removed.
Every week, Dr. Szeto excises a large number of benign and cancerous lesions and is pleased to offer this service to surgical candidates. Dr. Szeto uses meticulous plastic surgical techniques for excision and closure of benign lesions, and his fees are private.
What to expect
After the procedure, you will be asked to apply pressure to the area for 5-10 minutes to minimize the risk of bruising. You will be given specific verbal and written instructions on how to care for the surgical site, and what medications to take for pain afterwards (usually just Tylenol and Advil).
For more detailed instructions see here: (hyperlink to post op care<-make sure I get this to you)
If non-absorbable sutures are place, they will need to be removed within 7 days so no suture marks are left.
The vast majority of patients have excellent outcomes from their procedure.
Although this is always expected, there is never a 100% guarantee in medicine or
surgery. Scars take approximately a year to fully mature.
Scar Management
A scar takes a full year to mature. Initially, it will be perfectly flat after surgery, but
after a few days, it will become slightly red and inflamed. After about 6 months, it will typically begin to fade to a pale, white colour. It can turn dark if exposed to too much sunlight while healing, so Dr. Szeto advises keeping the area out of the sun as much as possible. Sun avoidance, long clothing, blocks (e.g., a Band-Aid over the area when in the sun), and applying sunscreen (SPF 30) even when its cloudy.
After 3-4 weeks, assuming the incision has healed completely, you can begin scar massage to soften the scar. I recommend using a non-irritating lotion or cream and massaging it into the scar for 3 minutes, 3-4 times a day for a minimum of 3 weeks. A mature scar may achieve 60%-80% of the skin's strength prior to surgery.
Stretching the scar can result in undesirable outcomes such as a wide scar or hypertrophic scar. It is critical to remember this while the incision heals. For example, if a lesion was removed from the middle of your chest, you should avoid stretching your arms out to the sides too far.
Candidates
Individuals without complex medical conditions that would increase the risks of surgery.
Procedure
These procedures are typically carried out with local anaesthetic in a clinic setting. To reduce the skin puckering that would result from a circular excision, most lesions are removed as an ellipse. Dr. Szeto usually loosens up the surrounding skin after excision before closing it. As a result, the skin can redrape properly without compromising its contour. The location of the excision will determine whether the sutures are absorbable or not. Frequently, the sutures are completely concealed beneath the skin and do not need to be taken out. This permits the skin to heal in a straight line without showing any signs of suture marks. The incision is then covered with either surgical glue or a small amount of incisional tape (steri-strips).
If non-absorbable sutures are place, they will need to be removed within 7 days so no suture marks are left.