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*Treatment results may vary
4 1/2 Months Post Op
Hello!
So sorry for the long gap since my last update. I wanted to be able to show a more dramatic progression of how it has healed over a few months.
Looking back at my before, during and after photos I see that the tip of my nose did become quite droopy during the time that it was stitched there. I have noticed that the four month pictures seem to show that the drooping tip has become less droopy compared with how it was right after surgery though. It seems to have healed a lot! :) So I would say that I HAVE had a slight change in the appearance of my nose *shape* in that the tip is about 3 mm lower than it was before any surgery but it is a very small change I think.
As for the appearance of the *skin*, that has been a noticeable change since before any surgery. But it has definitely improved a lot over the last few months and I am very grateful there is no cancer. :) My nose is still numb in spots, but that has lessened considerably. The surgeon offered me a sanding procedure, but I have been reluctant to do that. My friend (who had basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma on her nose) said that her surgeon recommends laser treatments for uneven skin which is what I seem to have. That is because, according to my doctor, sanding requires several days of healing, pain and redness. I think I will probably let it heal a little bit more before doing any treatments but the laser treatment is what I am leaning towards.
I have tried using two different brands of the silicone gels for the scarred area as recommended by Eva G! :) Although I can not be sure how much it has helped, the skin does look better than it did a few months ago and the gel makes my nose seem smoother while I am wearing it at least. Also one of the gels has sunscreen in it.
One big side effect of the surgery - When I see people's faces exposed to bright sun, I wish that they will never have to go through this surgery! >_< I wish I could warn everyone to wear sunscreen or a hat or something but I would not want to bombard strangers with all my "middle aged wisdom"! lol
P.S. I donate blood frequently and I was wondering if the surgery would impact that at all. Well, since the surgery, I have been called to donate blood a couple of times. One time was just shortly after surgery to donate whole blood for a matched recipient in the hospital, and I was told that melanoma can disqualify someone from donating blood however basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma do not.
Feel free to comment or PM me with any questions, comments or advice! Thanks :)
So sorry for the long gap since my last update. I wanted to be able to show a more dramatic progression of how it has healed over a few months.
Looking back at my before, during and after photos I see that the tip of my nose did become quite droopy during the time that it was stitched there. I have noticed that the four month pictures seem to show that the drooping tip has become less droopy compared with how it was right after surgery though. It seems to have healed a lot! :) So I would say that I HAVE had a slight change in the appearance of my nose *shape* in that the tip is about 3 mm lower than it was before any surgery but it is a very small change I think.
As for the appearance of the *skin*, that has been a noticeable change since before any surgery. But it has definitely improved a lot over the last few months and I am very grateful there is no cancer. :) My nose is still numb in spots, but that has lessened considerably. The surgeon offered me a sanding procedure, but I have been reluctant to do that. My friend (who had basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma on her nose) said that her surgeon recommends laser treatments for uneven skin which is what I seem to have. That is because, according to my doctor, sanding requires several days of healing, pain and redness. I think I will probably let it heal a little bit more before doing any treatments but the laser treatment is what I am leaning towards.
I have tried using two different brands of the silicone gels for the scarred area as recommended by Eva G! :) Although I can not be sure how much it has helped, the skin does look better than it did a few months ago and the gel makes my nose seem smoother while I am wearing it at least. Also one of the gels has sunscreen in it.
One big side effect of the surgery - When I see people's faces exposed to bright sun, I wish that they will never have to go through this surgery! >_< I wish I could warn everyone to wear sunscreen or a hat or something but I would not want to bombard strangers with all my "middle aged wisdom"! lol
P.S. I donate blood frequently and I was wondering if the surgery would impact that at all. Well, since the surgery, I have been called to donate blood a couple of times. One time was just shortly after surgery to donate whole blood for a matched recipient in the hospital, and I was told that melanoma can disqualify someone from donating blood however basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma do not.
Feel free to comment or PM me with any questions, comments or advice! Thanks :)
Sorry I meant to add more pictures
I also wanted to add that at my last visit I was told that the massaging can not start until the redness is completely gone and the graft has healed in its new home. I understand that the massage can be very helpful once you are permitted to start it. :)
Two Weeks and Two Days Post Op
Hey again!
So I had my graft checked on Thursday, January 29th! That was the last day I had to use a bandage! whoopwhoop :) I would say that at this point I am comfortable going out. It probably just looks like I scraped my nose or got a sunburn on it to people I don't know.
Between my first and second week check-ups, I was making my own bandages by cutting out an oval piece of Telfa (non-stick bandage material) and cutting the tan paper tape to hold the bandage on. That way it was the smallest size possible. lol And as the red area grew smaller, I used smaller pieces of bandage. Of course I'm sure people noticed that I had a bandage on my nose in elevators and stores, but no one said anything. They were being very polite. :) Now, I had told my colleagues that I had basal cell carcinoma removed, and wasn't uncomfortable in my office or even in our video conferences.
At my graft check up at two weeks, I was told that it looks great. yay! :) I was also told that I still have knots of self-dissolving stitches under the skin, so the bumps will lessen. yay again! At the time, the graft area was bright red. During the day I have stopped using the bandages at this point but I have continued to keep Aquaphor on the graft area. I think -and hope- that that can make a big difference in the healing. At night, I still use the Telfa bandage. I do that so I don't accidentally wipe the Aquaphor off while I am tossing and turning in my sleep... or sleepwalking/talking... which I do. Today much of the redness is gone. I sent photos of my nose at its worst point to my sun-worshiping friends to encourage them to see a dermatologist. Please make sure to take care of your skin! It is the only skin you have!
As for the tip of nose, it is still seeming a little bit more down turned that usual. No big update about that yet. However, the numbness in that part of my nose has definitely decreased a little bit!
P.S.
Someone asked about pain so I wanted to talk about that a little bit. :)
So before the surgery, I was given a prescription for Tylenol with Codeine. It could actually not be sent to the pharmacy electronically because it is a "controlled substance". I had to bring the prescription in personally to the pharmacy to have it filled.
On the day of the surgery I took four Codeine pills. [By the way, as I mentioned earlier, I later learned that I should have taken ONE of those *before* the surgery so it could be effective as the numbing anesthetic wore off.]
The second day I took two Codeine pills.
On the third day I took one Codeine pill at about 4 AM when I was awakened by throbbing pain in my nose... Yikes! :\ haha
NOTE: I was careful not to drink during the time that I was taking these Codeine pills because they are very strong and, even though I like an evening glass of wine, it can be a very dangerous and potentially deadly combination.
After the first three days, I really did not feel any pain!
So I had my graft checked on Thursday, January 29th! That was the last day I had to use a bandage! whoopwhoop :) I would say that at this point I am comfortable going out. It probably just looks like I scraped my nose or got a sunburn on it to people I don't know.
Between my first and second week check-ups, I was making my own bandages by cutting out an oval piece of Telfa (non-stick bandage material) and cutting the tan paper tape to hold the bandage on. That way it was the smallest size possible. lol And as the red area grew smaller, I used smaller pieces of bandage. Of course I'm sure people noticed that I had a bandage on my nose in elevators and stores, but no one said anything. They were being very polite. :) Now, I had told my colleagues that I had basal cell carcinoma removed, and wasn't uncomfortable in my office or even in our video conferences.
At my graft check up at two weeks, I was told that it looks great. yay! :) I was also told that I still have knots of self-dissolving stitches under the skin, so the bumps will lessen. yay again! At the time, the graft area was bright red. During the day I have stopped using the bandages at this point but I have continued to keep Aquaphor on the graft area. I think -and hope- that that can make a big difference in the healing. At night, I still use the Telfa bandage. I do that so I don't accidentally wipe the Aquaphor off while I am tossing and turning in my sleep... or sleepwalking/talking... which I do. Today much of the redness is gone. I sent photos of my nose at its worst point to my sun-worshiping friends to encourage them to see a dermatologist. Please make sure to take care of your skin! It is the only skin you have!
As for the tip of nose, it is still seeming a little bit more down turned that usual. No big update about that yet. However, the numbness in that part of my nose has definitely decreased a little bit!
P.S.
Someone asked about pain so I wanted to talk about that a little bit. :)
So before the surgery, I was given a prescription for Tylenol with Codeine. It could actually not be sent to the pharmacy electronically because it is a "controlled substance". I had to bring the prescription in personally to the pharmacy to have it filled.
On the day of the surgery I took four Codeine pills. [By the way, as I mentioned earlier, I later learned that I should have taken ONE of those *before* the surgery so it could be effective as the numbing anesthetic wore off.]
The second day I took two Codeine pills.
On the third day I took one Codeine pill at about 4 AM when I was awakened by throbbing pain in my nose... Yikes! :\ haha
NOTE: I was careful not to drink during the time that I was taking these Codeine pills because they are very strong and, even though I like an evening glass of wine, it can be a very dangerous and potentially deadly combination.
After the first three days, I really did not feel any pain!