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Chances are high you’ll end up having a hole where the carcinoma once was.
Getty Images. Design by Bella Geraci
However, it’s not a defect at all.
It’s a sign that you are on your way to healthier skin.
That’s where flaps and skin grafts come in.
(We’ll get into the details of each soon enough.)
You’re allowed to be concerned with your appearance following this major, life-changing surgery.
That’s a very, very big deal.
That’s not to be minimized."
Flaps vs. Needless to say, this is a decision you and your dermatologist should come to together.
The adjacent skin is either slid, transposed, or rotated into the wound.
Flaps aren’t always an option, though.
Extra skin near the defect on your face may not be easily accessible or viable for a flap.
In these cases, doctors turn to skin grafting.
“My greatest piece of advice is to trust the process,” she says.
Flaps:Your immediate post-procedure healing process for a flap focuses on moisture lotsof moisture.
“The greasier the better,” she adds.
“We usually venture to avoid using those.”
Skin Grafts:Whatever you do,don’tget your graft wet for at least a week.
Lee recommends cleansing your surrounding skin with a washcloth or aface wipeto avoid getting water on your bandage.
you might also considermicellar wateron a reusable cotton pad like the ones fromCocokind.)
it’s possible for you to also continue your usual skin-care regimen on the rest of your face.
For your donor site, Viscusi says the same healing steps apply.
Be sure to keep the area bandaged, and you’re free to add moisturizing ointment.
Doing so could compromise the healing process because smokingconstricts blood vessels.
Physical activity:This one might be less instinctual.
“Blood could rush to the area if you’re very active,” Minkis says.
“Also, if you do thingslike yoga, where you’re upside down same thing.
Blood is going to rush to the area, constrict the stitches.
It could move the flap or the graft.”
Desai also brings up the possibility of ripping open your sutures while working out.
“The wound is really at its weakest in those first couple of weeks,” he adds.
Skin grafts:Your bolster bandage will most likely be taken off a week after your skin-grafting procedure.
Once you get home from your doctor’s visit for that, you could begin wound care.
In the shower, avoid letting the force of the water hit your graft, though.
“You don’t want the water to move it around,” Minkis says.
“You have to be very gentle with cleaning it and putting ointment on it.”
All of the doctors I talked to brought up how important this is.
you’re free to easily avoid this by slatheringon sunscreenand reapplying it every two hours.
Plus, it will help prevent future skin cancer diagnoses.
And don’t forget to put it onto your donor site, too.
“[They] are often hidden areas you may forget to apply sunscreen,” Viscusi says.
“It’s crucial to give the donor site extra love and sun protection.”
“Scars tend to be a little bit drier than normal for a while afterward,” Minkis notes.
No amount ofheavy moisturizerwill be too much for it.
For the rest of your go-to skin-care products, only layer mild ones onto your scar, Lee says.
Avoid exfoliants, acids, or retinols.
“A lot of scars will mature by themselves and get better on their own,” Lee says.
Many of them can be combined and done during the same visit, Minkis says.
Conversely, you don’t necessarily have to doanythingto your scar.
you’re able to wear it proudly as a reminder that you survived, just asthese people do.
In that case, the procedure may be eligible for coverage.
“It’s very safe, just a very small quantity of it.”
The same injection is typically used forkeloid scars, hypertrophic scars, and inflamed skin, like cystic acne.
Most of the time, only one round is necessary.
If it works, you won’t need to undergo any other treatments.
The only difference is dermabrasion is more intense and is specifically for smoothing out scarring.
Typically, you’ll only need one session done.
“Very rarely do you do it a second time,” he adds.
For redness, lasers should be on your radar.
The most common one used to address this concern is thepulsed dye laseraka PDL.
“Sometimes, those blood vessels linger around.”
In this case, PDL stops those blood vessels from continuing to form and reduces redness.
Depending on the severity of your scar’s discoloration, you may require a few visits, Desai adds.
(Here’show to care for your skinafter each one.)
Most of all, Lee wants you to keep in mind that scar healing is a lengthy process.
Plan on giving your face a full year to recover.
“It takes many months for it to settle down and have its final appearance.”
“You did a very important, very brave thing by going through this procedure.
