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What are some of the side effects of having a melanoma removed from your nose?

I had a melanoma removed from the side of my nose probably three years ago and reconstructive surgery after. Since then , I find it difficult to breathe in that nostril. I am constantly trying to clean it as it has formed scabs where the reconstructive work was done. In the winter that nostril hurts due to the cold and runs non-stop. My question is this normal. When I spoke to the plastic surgeon he said that will disappear over time. As I said earlier it has been three winters and it hasn't improved at all. Is this normal?

  1. Hi - thank you for sharing with us. I'm so sorry to hear about the complications you're dealing with post-melanoma removal on your nose. I know you said your plastic surgeon said it would disappear over time, but have you spoken to them or another doctor recently about the ongoing issues you're facing? It may be a good idea to get a second opinion, especially if this is interfering with your everyday life! I hope others in the community are able to chime in if they've had similar side effects, but in the meantime, I wanted to share an older forum regarding what to know about surgery/treatment on the nose: https://skincancer.net/forums/nose-surgery. Here's another article that includes different perspectives from the community: https://skincancer.net/life-with-skin-cancer/surgery-nose. I hope these are helpful, please keep me posted on how you're doing! All the best, Alexa (SkinCancer.net moderator)

    1. Hello. I am sorry that you are going through this. So hard to deal with during the winter with dry/warm interiors and cold/damp exteriors. I feel for you. My best thought is to maybe try to get another opinion or talk with a professional who can give some new thoughts on wound healing. When I have had to deal with these types of things in my nostrils, I tried to moderate the extremes by keeping my nose warm outside and damp (not dry due to indoor heating) inside, especially at night. Hope this helps. Scott skincancer.net moderator

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