POSTED UNDER Mohs Surgery REVIEWS
Mohs with Open Healing - London, GB
ORIGINAL POST
So I'm finally leaving my review as this site...
romom26April 9, 2015
WORTH IT$5,000
So I'm finally leaving my review as this site helped me a lot after I was diagnosed and was researching my options. I had a mohs surgery for a bcc on the side of my nose/cheek in Nov 2014. The bcc itself looked so tiny and it was a nodular bcc so we didn't think removing it would be a big deal. Well of course it's always a bigger wound than you would expect :( After 2 phases of Mohs I had a wound the size of a US dime (a 5 pence piece in the UK). I was devastated and freaking out after the surgery. I seriously had an anxiety attack and the nurse had to walk with me around the surgery center and encourage me to breath. I could not stop crying, to the point where I had blood all over my face. All I could think about was the huge area of skin he was going to have to cut to make a flap to cover the area. My surgeon saw what I was going through and decided we would let the area heal on its own ("healing by secondary intention" it's called). He said because I was young and he thought I would heal well he would leave it open. This turned out to be a great thing for me. Yes, I had to wear a bandage on my face for six weeks and it was a very scary time. But fast forward four and a half months and I could not be happier with the result. The cancer is gone and I do have a tiny scar but it's not noticeable. I feel doubly blessed to be healthy and to have had what seems to my eye to be a great result. My doctor says that secondary intention healing is not used very often but it can be the perfect solution for skin cancers on certain areas of the face. I hope these pictures can help someone.
UPDATED FROM romom26
8 months post
8 months on
romom26July 26, 2015
Can't believe so much time has passed. My scar continues to improve. I've had three rounds of cortisone injections as the scar was a bit thick...not really noticeable but I want it to be the best it can possibly be :) I'm so happy with it now and really grateful. If you've just been diagnosed with bcc on your face, please google secondary intention healing. It's not appropriate for everyone but I am really pleased my doc went that route.
Replies (10)
July 26, 2015
You look great!! Secondary intention healing is something I definitely will keep in mind (although I hope to heaven I don't experience anything like this again). I had no idea this was an option.
July 27, 2015
Aw thanks hon! Yes lets all hope and pray we don't have to go through this again.
July 27, 2015
Wow you look great! You can't even tell you had Mohs surgery! I had surgery 4 months ago and they did a flap. I am so disfigured now! I'm still trying to be patient because they say flaps can take 12-18 months to heal but its clear i will have major indented scarring and a total change in the way it looks now! I never experienced anxiety prior to this but have had serious anxiety attacks since. I'm so glad you're experience was so much better and you shared this because if ever there is a next time I will ask if leaving it to heal on its own is an option. Thank you for sharing!
July 27, 2015
Absolutely! I keep hearing the same thing from my plastic Dr. -"it takes a year, it will keep changing, it will blend in,etc. etc." I mean, I guess it believe it, but I'm coming up on a year in November. I didn't have a flap, but from what pictures I've seen, it can be very dramatic. I hope the best for you.
July 27, 2015
Thank you! I understand what you're going through, I have a few friends (like me girls in their 20s and 30s) who also had BCCs. One girl had a flap and one had a skin graft--tbh, the flap has healed much better. It's so annoying when people tell you to give it time but four months is so early. One day you won't give it a second thought and you'll be back to your old self--but it's the waiting that sucks :( I'm sorry you're going through this. I totally understand about the anxiety. I was a basket case during the surgeyr and while healing and now I have mini freakouts when I see a red or flaky spot on my face. It's just part of the recovery process I guess. Wishing you the very best
July 28, 2015
Not sure I am allowed to post a link but this article helped me a lot http://www.dermatol-sinica.com/web/data/1d1403.pdf
August 3, 2016
I am about to undergo the same procedure and also wondered if you would be willing to let me know who carried out your surgery in London. Many thanks Kathy
Replies (29)