DermHelpCentral

Non-Sutured Wound Care

Wound Care for Shave Biopsy and other No Stitches Procedures

All wounds heal best when kept clean, moist and covered.

The following steps will promote optimal wound healing and yield the best cosmetic result.

1. Keep the dressing dry for at least 24 hours.

Sometimes the wound may start to bleed. If this happens, apply local pressure with gauze or Kleenex to the wound for 15 minutes. That should stop the bleeding. If it does not, continue to apply pressure and call us.

2. Clean the wound daily with mild soap and water. Gently cleanse with a soft washcloth to remove crust or debris.  Only use hydrogen peroxide to help break up crusts that do not come away easily with a washcloth.  After cleansing, pat area dry gently.

3.  Apply a thin layer of Aquaphor or Vaseline to the wound.  Most skin surgeons prefer Aquaphor ot Vaseline to topical antibiotics since the latter can cause allergy. 

4.  Apply a non-stick dressing.  Telfa, Curad or NexCare are three suitable ones.  We especially like the latter because they are waterproof.

5. Repeat this simple regimen daily until the wound is completely healed or you are asked to stop by your doctor.  Keeping the dressing off and letting the wound dry out will slow the healing process.  You may shower or bathe 48 hours after surgery.

If the dressing gets wet, it should be changed as soon as possible.
Note: the wound should not hurt! It will be sore, like a bruise, the first night, and after that it may be tender to touch, but it should not hurt. It may sting or burn if it gets wet, or if it is exposed to the air without a protective coating of ointment.

Please contact your dermatologist for any of the following

Pain in or around the wound site
Redness extending more than about 1/3 inch from the edge of the wound
Swelling of the wound or the area around it
If you are worried that there might be something wrong

Liquid Nitrogen Skin Care

Wound Care for lesions treated with Liquid Nitrogen

Treating an area of skin with liquid nitrogen freezes the skin, which kills the tissue in the top layer of skin. The skin then regenerates: if the frozen area is left undisturbed, a superficial treatment will not scar. Here is what to expect from a treatment with liquid nitrogen, and how to care for the site.

What to expect

Discomfort at the site. If this was a light freeze on an area of skin other than the palm or sole, there will be some stinging for 10 or 15 minutes, and possibly some itching. If the area frozen was on the palm or the sole, it may be quite painful, and that pain will often last one or two days.
Blistering. Sometimes a blister will form. This could be either a clear blister or a blood blister.
Scabbing. After two or three days, sometimes as long as a week, the area will feel like a scab. Please do not pick at the scab as this could cause a scar.

Swelling. Treatment of areas on the forehead, nose or eyelids can result in painless swelling of the eyelids, especially noted in the morning. This will subside in 2-7 days.
Discoloration. The area frozen may turn darker brown or even black.
Peeling. After 7-10 days the area will start to peel, or, if it forms a scab, dark parts of the scab will start to crumble off.
Redness. After peeling, the area is likely to be slightly pink; this will fade after several days or weeks, depending on your skin type.

Care of the treatment site

Do not pick at the site as this can damage the skin and keep it from healing.  It may also cause scarring or  prolong the time for healing.
You may cover it with a bandage if you like, but this is not necessary unless the blister breaks.
If it forms a large blister that gets in the way, you may pop the blister with a sterile needle —but if you do this, keep the area covered with an  ointment and a dressing.

Please all or email your physician if discomfort in the area worsens after 1 or 2 days. Very rarely a frozen area can get infected—and if it does, it will be more painful, and would need further treatment.

Sutured Wound Care

Wound Care (with stitches)

1) Keep site dry for 24 - 48  hours.

2) Then
   a) clean gently with mild soap and water
       or peroxide
   b) Apply Bacitracin, Polysporin or Vaseline or leave dry.  Some dermatological surgeons see no value in topical antibiotics for wounds and feel that keeping the site moist with Vaseline is all that is needed.

3) After you cleanse the site apply:

   a) a Bandaid

   b) 3M Waterproof Bandage (Nextcare)

   c) Tegaderm

4) In most cases, it is bvest to keep the wound covered until the sutures are removed.

If the wound becomes red, hot, tender, drains pus or concerns you in any way please contact your physician by phone or email.
The biopsy report is usually available within a week’s time.  Please call or email your surgeon for the pathology result if you don’t hear from her or him.