Mohs surgery 4 days ago. Surgeon said it was deep, not lateral, however due to the location I have a lot of stitches? (Photos)

Question

Stitches come out in 3 days. Will the puffiness go down? It seems to be very much lateral. Thoughts? Should I see a plastic surgeon?

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

Moh’s surgery on the face often requires surgical repair and reconstruction to reapproximate the skin edges. Flaps or direct closure techniques are used. It is important that you optimize scar healing during this phase in order to reduce longterm scars. For red scars, we use Vbeam laser, followed by fractional laser for scar topography and contour. We recommend Plato’s Scar Serum twice daily for the immediate postoperative period. Fractional laser is safe for scar laser therapy. 
There are treatments for swelling and edema of the scars. If there is residual sutures or edema, we advise you to follow a scar treatment protocol that can minimize the time to recovery. Our office specializes in scar revisions for Moh’s surgery. 
Best, 
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

Girish S. Munavalli, MD, MHS · Answer

I know that Mohs Surgery can be overwhelming, especially with your surgery & scar being on the face - but it has only been 4 days and the full healing process has only just begun. The reason for the length of the wound was to make it possible to close it so that the end result would be a scar that is flat & linear (falling along the natural contour of your nasolabial fold). When you go in to have the stitches taken out, ask your doctor what more he/she recommends that you could do in order to help with the healing, if he/she hasn't already told you. There are several things that can be done post-Mohs surgery to help the scar flatten out completely and to reduce the redness. Just give it some time...

Jeffrey M. Joseph, MD · Answer

The number of stitches has to do with the technique used to repair the area, not just the size of the cancer. At this point, everything looks very normal. I would discuss your questions with your operating surgeon.

Vicki J. Levine, MD · Answer

The reason that  the sutured wound  is so long is because the surgeon had to cut out what are called  "dog ears", so the sutured wound would be flat. The swelling should go away with time .

Mohs surgery 4 days ago. Surgeon said it was deep, not lateral, however due to the location I have a lot of stitches? (Photos)

Answers (4)

Answer: Be patient

Answer: Be patient

Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Mohs Surgery

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.

Mohs surgery 4 days ago. Surgeon said it was deep, not lateral, however due to the location I have a lot of stitches? (Photos)

Answers (4)

Answer: Be patient

Answer: Be patient

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Mohs Surgery

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.