Mohs Surgery on my Scalp?

Question

it has been three weeks since my surgery. can I leave the bandage off and just put Vaseline on the wound

Sonia Badreshia-Bansal, MD · Answer

Yes. Aquaphor or Vaseline or other emollient product would be great for wound healing at this point, in most cases. Check with your surgeon to be sure, but in most cases this is perfectly fine. I hope this helps.

Richard J. Brown, MD · Answer

It is hard to advise you here without knowing more details on what you had for reconstruction. If you have incisions usually I would say yes you can stop using an outer bandage. If you have a skin graft it may all be a different story. For this one ask your surgeon because I have no idea exactly what you had done.

Laurie Jacobson, MD · Answer

If there are no sutures involved and it is healing in on its own (called secondary intention healing) then it may take weeks to months to completely heal.  If that is the case, then you want to continue to provide wound care to the area with cleaning it, applying ointment, and a bandage.  If you had a graft repair done (such as a porcine graft) then you also may need to continue wound care.  If sutures are involved, then typically they are in for approximately two weeks and once they are removed, there is no further care required.  Always ask your doctor what instructions they want you to follow and make an appointment if it seems it isn't healing as expected.

Andrew Kaufman, MD · Answer

Your best option is to contact the doctor who performed the surgery and ask him/her for instructions. If the wound was repaired, sutures are usually removed in 2-3 weeks. If allowed to heal by secondary intention (i.e. heal in by itself), it may take longer. Instructions may differ. Best to talk to the doctor and see how they would like it handled.

Omar Ibrahimi, MD, PhD · Answer

The care instructions depend on exactly what was done, was the area stitched up or was it left to heal on its own? Every Mohs surgeon has different opinions on post surgery care so it is best to contact your Mohs surgeon and ask them directly.

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Mohs Surgery on my Scalp?

Answers (6)

Answer: Wound Care on the Scalp Following Mohs Surgery

Answer: Wound Care on the Scalp Following Mohs Surgery

Answer: Mohs surgery and caring for the area after surgery

Answer: Mohs surgery and caring for the area after surgery

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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.