Dear Mike, The answer to your question depends entirely where on the forehead your wound is. I would not recommend a skin graft -- it is very difficult to get an exact color match and will look very obvious. If the wound heals by itself, it will take some time (3-6 weeks) and it will feel like nothing is... more
How to repair Mohs surgery wound?
I had Mohs surgery on 8/14 to remove a basal cell cancer from my forehead. The wound is now open and covered and I'm weighing my options for repair. It's about the size of a silver dollar. It does seem to be closing/shrinking from all sides, albeit ever so slowly.
What are the advantages/disadvantages of waiting for it to continue to close before doing a skin graft or skin flap? Thanks!
4 answers to “How to repair Mohs surgery wound?”
A: Mohs surgery repair
There are several options with respect to reconstruction following Mohs surgery. One can have the wound repaired immediately following Mohs surgery, they can allow it to heal in completely without having any reconstruction, or the wound can be allowed to heal to some extent so that it is made smaller before... more
A: Forehead scars are better after reconstruction
Most wounds of the body (including Moh's) will heal by themselves--referred to as healing by "secondary intention". The problems with this is that it may take a long time to close completely and usually, but not always, the scar is worse than if a well-executed surgical closure was performed. The... more
A: Mohs reconstruction
It is best to reconstruct the area of the defect soon after Mohs procedure to prevent infection and provide the best aesthetic outcome. This is done best using local flaps, although at times skin grafts can be used. Occasionally, if the defect is very deep, it can be left to granulate partially, before... more
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