{"id":1119,"date":"2020-07-10T15:55:49","date_gmt":"2020-07-10T15:55:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/carreras-medical-center\/?p=1119"},"modified":"2020-12-23T13:05:15","modified_gmt":"2020-12-23T13:05:15","slug":"mohs-surgery-everything-you-should-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/carreras-medical-center\/mohs-surgery-everything-you-should-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Mohs Surgery: Everything You Should Know"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If I\u2019ve told you that you need to have <\/span>Mohs surgery for melanoma<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, basal skin carcinoma, or squamous skin carcinoma removal, you\u2019re likely wondering what to expect for your upcoming procedure date.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you\u2019re like most of my Hialeah patients, you\u2019re probably wondering:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What you\u2019ll need to do to prepare for the upcoming procedure.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What the outpatient procedure will be like.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Whether it will be painful or not,<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What your <\/span>Mohs surgery scar<span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> will look like.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wondering what <\/span>Mohs surgery aftercare<span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> tips you\u2019ll need to follow.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What your <\/span>Mohs surgery recovery<span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> timeline will look like.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">How long you&#8217;ll need to wait to <\/span>exercise after Mohs surgery<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Don\u2019t worry. As your physician, I\u2019m here to help answer these questions for you and make you as comfortable as possible for your upcoming procedure.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you have any specific questions about your upcoming procedure, please call my office at (305) 614-3677 so I can answer those questions personally.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Preparing for Your Upcoming Mohs Surgery for Melanoma and Other Types of Skin Cancer<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Mohs surgery for Melanoma<span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and other surface-level cancers on the body is a minimally-invasive, outpatient treatment option. These types of cancers can occur anywhere on your body, and commonly occur on the face and nose.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">To prepare for this procedure, you\u2019ll need to abstain from the following medications for seven days before your appointment:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Blood thinners (so long as they aren\u2019t prescribed because you have cardiovascular disease).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Aspirin.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Nonsteroidal_anti-inflammatory_drug\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Non-Steroid Anti-inflammatory Drugs<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> (NSAIDs), including Ibuprofen.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Additionally, if you have a heart murmur or any artificial joints &#8211; such as a knee replacement or hip replacement &#8211; we\u2019ll discuss whether or not you should take a preoperative antibiotic as a precautionary measure to avoid infection.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Because you\u2019ll only be receiving a local anesthetic applied directly to your treatment area, there\u2019s no need for you to fast the day of your appointment. I actually recommend that you have a healthy breakfast before coming in for your treatment because there\u2019s no way for me to predict how long it will take to remove all your cancerous cells.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">During your <\/span>Mohs surgery for melanoma<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, basal skin carcinoma, or squamous skin carcinoma skin cancer, I will:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Inject your treatment area with a local anesthetic. Most patients report this injection is the most uncomfortable part of the procedure, and say that the rest of this operation is painless.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Gently remove a layer of tissue at your cancer site.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Review the removed tissue at an on-site laboratory using a microscope to check for cancerous cells.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This procedure is repeated until I see a tissue sample under the microscope with no cancerous cells. Most patients only need one to two layers of tissue removed, though individual procedures will vary depending on their unique cases and presentations of melanoma, and other cancerous cells found on the skin.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">While my number one goal of this procedure is to remove all your cancerous tissue, my second goal is to provide you with as aesthetically appealing <\/span>Mohs surgery scar<span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> as possible. This is especially true when it comes to<\/span> healing after Mohs surgery on the face<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Many times I\u2019m able to leave the resulting wound open to heal on its own. If multiple layers of cells were removed or your nose was treated, I may need to suture the wound up so that it\u2019ll heal properly and quickly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1121 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/carreras-medical-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/08\/Preparing-for-Your-Upcoming-Mohs-Surgery-for-Melanoma-and-Other-Types-of-Skin-Cancer.jpg\" alt=\"Preparing for Your Upcoming Mohs Surgery for Melanoma and Other Types of Skin Cancer\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/carreras-medical-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/08\/Preparing-for-Your-Upcoming-Mohs-Surgery-for-Melanoma-and-Other-Types-of-Skin-Cancer-200x133.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/carreras-medical-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/08\/Preparing-for-Your-Upcoming-Mohs-Surgery-for-Melanoma-and-Other-Types-of-Skin-Cancer-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/carreras-medical-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/08\/Preparing-for-Your-Upcoming-Mohs-Surgery-for-Melanoma-and-Other-Types-of-Skin-Cancer-400x267.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/carreras-medical-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/08\/Preparing-for-Your-Upcoming-Mohs-Surgery-for-Melanoma-and-Other-Types-of-Skin-Cancer-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/carreras-medical-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/08\/Preparing-for-Your-Upcoming-Mohs-Surgery-for-Melanoma-and-Other-Types-of-Skin-Cancer-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/carreras-medical-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/08\/Preparing-for-Your-Upcoming-Mohs-Surgery-for-Melanoma-and-Other-Types-of-Skin-Cancer-800x534.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/carreras-medical-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/08\/Preparing-for-Your-Upcoming-Mohs-Surgery-for-Melanoma-and-Other-Types-of-Skin-Cancer.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><b>Healing After Mohs Surgery on the Face<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Since the face is a common location on the body for these types of cancer to occur, many of my patients are curious about <\/span>healing after Mohs surgery on the face<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. In the same vein, patients are also curious about <\/span>how to bandage a nose after Mohs surgery<span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> since this outpatient operation is commonly performed on the nose.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">With regards to <\/span>healing after Mohs surgery on the face<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, many patients are particularly concerned about what their <\/span>Mohs surgery scar<span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> will look like since it&#8217;ll be on a visible part of the body. Rest assured, I do everything possible to make your <\/span>Mohs surgery scar as<span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> minimally visible as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When following proper instructions, the process of healing after Mohs surgery on the face is typically easy. Because doctors like myself try to avoid sutures whenever possible, recovery is simple. Depending on the size of the wound amount of cells removed, your <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/carreras-medical-center\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mohs surgery recovery<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> may take between four to six weeks to be fully complete. During this time, you\u2019ll need to keep the excision site clean and look out for common signs of wound infection, including:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A fever over 101\u2109, which is unrelated to any illness you may have.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Redness or excessive swelling around the treatment site.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hot skin in the area that was treated.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Feeling continued pain at the area where you were treated.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Normal symptoms you may experience as part of your <\/span>Mohs surgery recovery<span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mild discomfort and itching as your wound heals.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Slight bruising.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Slight swelling immediately following your procedure.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Some <\/span>Mohs surgery aftercare<span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> tips to relieve these symptoms include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Getting plenty of rest.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Use cold compresses.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Taking over-the-counter pain relievers.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you have cells removed on your nose, you may be wondering <\/span>how to bandage a nose after Mohs surgery<span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> as well as what <\/span>Mohs surgery aftercare<span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> tips you\u2019ll need to follow. Here\u2019s what you\u2019ll need to do:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The best way <\/span>how to bandage a nose after Mohs surgery<span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is to use a clean non-stick bandage secured with surgical tape and to clean and rebandage the nose daily.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">To change your bandage, wash your hands, then remove the bandage daily so you can gently clean the incision with soap and water.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Don\u2019t pull or pick at any scabbing or crusting. Instead, let it naturally disappear on its own so that you don\u2019t inadvertently reopen the surgical site or rip out any stitches you may have, as doing so will require further treatment and increase your risk for infection.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Apply Vaseline or Aquaphor over the wound using a Q-tip, not your finger.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Rebandage the nose using fresh, clean non-stick bandage (cut to completely cover the incision site) and surgical tape. Do not touch the non-stick bandage as you apply it to your face, but instead use the bandage covering to place it on your treatment site.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you still have questions about <\/span>how to bandage a nose after Mohs surgery<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, please let me know before your procedure so I can demonstrate it to you so you can follow this Mohs surgery aftercare instruction and have a faster <\/span>Mohs surgery recovery<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Following these <\/span>Mohs surgery aftercare<span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> tips with instructions on <\/span>how to bandage a nose after Mohs surgery<span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> will help promote a quick recovery and significantly reduce the risk of infection or other complications.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Exercise After Mohs Surgery<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Many patients who have this outpatient procedure are active individuals and are understandably curious how soon they can resume <\/span>exercise after Mohs surgery<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Generally speaking, you need to refrain from <\/span>exercise after Mohs surgery<span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for at least 24 to 48 hours.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">However, every patient and every case is unique. If you had cancerous cells removed at a site on your body that would be easily touched, rubbed, or irritated by exercising, you may need to refrain from <\/span>exercise after Mohs surgery<span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> until your incision has completely healed. If you\u2019re in doubt about how long you need to refrain from <\/span>exercise after Mohs surgery<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, simply ask me and I\u2019ll provide you with detailed instructions based on your unique case and typical exercise routine.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1120 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/carreras-medical-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/08\/Exercise-After-Mohs-Surgery.jpg\" alt=\"Exercise After Mohs Surgery\" width=\"1000\" height=\"687\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/carreras-medical-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/08\/Exercise-After-Mohs-Surgery-200x137.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/carreras-medical-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/08\/Exercise-After-Mohs-Surgery-300x206.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/carreras-medical-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/08\/Exercise-After-Mohs-Surgery-400x275.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/carreras-medical-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/08\/Exercise-After-Mohs-Surgery-600x412.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/carreras-medical-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/08\/Exercise-After-Mohs-Surgery-768x528.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/carreras-medical-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/08\/Exercise-After-Mohs-Surgery-800x550.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/carreras-medical-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/08\/Exercise-After-Mohs-Surgery.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><b>Contact Me With Any Questions About Mohs Surgery for Melanoma and Other Skin Cancers<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Many of my patients like you who are scheduled for <\/span>Mohs surgery for melanoma<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, basal skin carcinoma, or squamous skin carcinoma have never had a surgical procedure before. If you\u2019re in this camp, it\u2019s understandable that you may have additional questions about <\/span>Mohs surgery aftercare<span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> tips, <\/span>Mohs surgery recovery<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, <\/span>healing after Mohs surgery on the face<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, and what your <\/span>Mohs surgery scar<span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> will look like even once you&#8217;ve completed reading through this blog post.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you have an upcoming appointment for this treatment and have any questions, please let me know. I want to make sure you are completely informed before going in for your outpatient procedure. To reach me, call my practice today at (305) 614-3677.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If I\u2019ve told you that you need to have Mohs surgery for melanoma, basal skin carcinoma, or squamous skin carcinoma<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1122,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[86],"tags":[92,88,94,89,90,93,87,91],"class_list":["post-1119","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mohs-surgery","tag-exercise-after-mohs-surgery","tag-healing-after-mohs-surgery-on-face","tag-how-to-bandage-a-nose-after-mohs-surgery","tag-mohs-surgery-aftercare","tag-mohs-surgery-for-melanoma","tag-mohs-surgery-melanoma","tag-mohs-surgery-recovery","tag-mohs-surgery-scar"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/carreras-medical-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1119","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/carreras-medical-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/carreras-medical-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/carreras-medical-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/carreras-medical-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1119"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/carreras-medical-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1119\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/carreras-medical-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1122"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/carreras-medical-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/carreras-medical-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1119"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/carreras-medical-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}