When a person encounters skin cancer,the best he/she can do is get it removed as soon as possible. However, sometimes even after cancer removal there are chances of recurrence of it,which is certainly not in a person’s hand to not happen. Though, what a person can do is take precautions.
So, here we in this guide will mention some of the basic but really important after surgery care tips, that you need to follow and do necessarily in order for early healing of surgical wounds and also as prevention for the skin cancer to not reoccur.
Remember that cancer is a disease that is hard to fight with, but with proper medical care and inputs and also your strong will power and proper care of yourself. It is not impossible to beat these deadly cancerous cells.
Types of Skin Cancer Surgeries-
Excisional Surgery
It includes cutting out not only cancerous tissues but the margin of healthy skin around it too.
Mohs Micrographic Surgery
It is a highly precise surgical method for skin cancer removal. In this, cancerous cells are removed layer by layer from a person’s skin and are simultaneously examined under a microscope with the surgery. The process is continued till only cancer-free tissues remain on the patient.
Cryosurgery
The main action involved in this surgery is freezing cancer cells with liquid nitrogen. It is primarily done for pre-cancers and small, superficial skin cancers.
Laser Surgery
Often done to treat superficial skin cancers, this surgery basically involves focusing a beam of light to destroy cancerous cells.
Radiation Therapy
It is not a surgical method, it is often used for skin cancer treatment. It involves using high-energy particles or waves to destroy or damage cancer cells.
Essential Skin Care Tips: Post Skin Cancer Removal after care-
Keep the Wound Clean
You need to keep the wound clean made by your surgeon to remove the cancerous cells. The surgeon will definitely guide you about how to keep your wound clean post surgery. This includes cleaning your wound with gentle soap and normal water and also to avoid any product that has harsh chemicals in it or has an alcohol base in them.
Wound Dressing
Change your wound’s dressing on time or as guided by the doctor. Use sterile products and your hands should be clean too while changing the dressing to prevent infection.
Also, use the specific type of dressing your doctor had recommended or told you to.
Signs of Infection
Keep a track, observe your wound regularly and look for changes. If you feel like your wound is taking too much time to heal or there is too much itching and irritation in it, go to your surgeon immediately. Observe signs like increased redness, swelling, warmth, or drainage. There could be a possibility of infection or maybe the surgery didn’t work as much as the doctors think of it to.
Limit Movements
After surgery, it is advised to avoid any activity or movement that could lead to stretch or stress to the wound area.
We know, it is hard to just sit around and wait for the wound to heal, but it is strictly needed that you resume with your daily schedule and activities after surgery slowly and with proper care.
Scarring
Scars are normal and are inescapable after any surgery. What you can do is, after the wound heals apply silicone-based ointments or gels to lighten the scar. Use any cream only after consulting your doctor.
Also, gentle regulated massage on the area where surgery has been done could help in reducing scar tissue buildup.
Protect Yourself From Sun
One of the major causes of skin cancer is sunrays and the harmful UV rays from it. In order to protect your skin after surgery, try to minimize sun exposure as much as you can.
After the wound heals, apply sunscreen regularly over the new skin to protect it from UV rays and the recurrence of skin cancer.
Nutrition
A well balanced and nutritious diet will help a lot with post surgery recovery. Vitamin C and Zinc, are the two nutrients that particularly aid for wound healing, so it is must to have them in your diet after surgery to get the wound healed fast and better.
Not just solid food, but it is advised to drink plenty of water and keep yourself hydrated in order for your body to work well and all the vital processes in your body to work efficiently.
Skin Cancer Screening
YES! It is very crucial to visit your surgeon or doctor regularly to get your wound and area of skin around it screened by them. As we mentioned above, that surgery doesn’t ensure the recurrence of the cancer to never happen and with this, the possibility of infection or surgery to fail is also there, So in order to keep a check on these both, visiting your doctor for skin cancer screening regularly after surgery is very important.
