PATIENT CARE INSTRUCTIONS
Pre-Treatment
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Please clean the operative site with chlorhexidine soap on the morning of surgery. The safest way is to lather up soap on your hands, apply the soap to the skin, and use a wash cloth to carefully wash away the soap. Be very careful not to get the soap in your eyes.
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Post-Treatment Routine Skin Surgery or Skin Flap
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You can take the dressing off (steri strips or bandaids or both) after three days (ex: procedure on Tuesday -- can take off dressing on Friday). If the steri strips or bandaids are not bothering you (adhesive can be irritating for some people), you can leave them on longer, up to the day the sutures are to be removed (nurse will remove the steri-strips or bandaids and then take sutures out). While the dressing is there, keep it dry; surrounding skin/hair can be cleansed as you normally would. I would suggest using a wash cloth for hair/surrounding facial skin and showering normally from the neck down. Once the dressing has been removed, let water roll off the operative site. Also, any dried blood/adhesive can be gently cleaned off the site with a Qtip and sterile saline (can get this from a pharmacy).
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Post-Treatment Skin Graft
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There is a 'vaseline gauze' dressing under the tape/bandages, and it is stitched onto the skin. One week after surgery, you will be scheduled in the Ambulatory Care Unit (ACU) at NBRHC to remove the stitched-on dressing (called a bolster dressing). After the bolster dressing is removed, a bandaid may be placed over top the skin graft for an additional 3 days. If so, after 3 days you can gently remove the bandaid and then let water roll off the skin graft site. Also, any dried blood/adhesive can be gently cleaned off the site with a Qtip and sterile saline (can get this from a pharmacy).
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A Few Weeks After Surgery
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As soon as the pathology (confirmed diagnosis and complete removal) is available, you will be contacted with this information, and also with a potential follow up date. If you require a follow up appointment, Dr. Harris will see you after the sutures and/or bolster dressing is removed. At this point a scar cream and massage may be discussed. It is best to avoid any creams or massage until 2 weeks after the suture removal date.