My Skin Cancer Surgery, in Pictures

By Judy Cloud

3 min read

At my last six-month checkup with my dermatologist, she saw a small area on my chest that needed to be biopsied. My doctor called me a couple of days later with the news that the area was basal cell carcinoma, and we scheduled an appointment for her to surgically remove it.

I've been here

I’ve been through this so many times that the news of yet another surgery didn’t bring me anxiety right away. I knew, though, the anxiety would come later; it usually really sets in after I’m prepped for surgery and my doctor is giving me the numbing shots.

Before I knew it, it was surgery day. My appointment was at noon, so I used my lunch hour to drive to my doctor’s office and have the surgery. Each time I’ve had an excisional removal for skin cancer, it’s been a fast process - I’m usually in and out in under 30 minutes.

The beginning

When I got to the office, my doctor’s medical assistant went over the consent forms and took a picture of the area that would be removed. Dr. K. then came in. After a bit of chatting, she asked if I was ready. She cleaned the area, draped it, and then gave me numerous numbing shots.

She allowed several moments for numbing to take effect, then she started the incision. I don’t like this part, because while I can’t actually feel the incision, I can feel pressure on my skin and it’s a weird feeling. I should say I usually can’t feel the incision, but when she moved to a different area on my skin I could feel that, so she gave me another numbing shot. Dr. K. is really good about letting me know how things are progressing, and I was thankful when she said she was done with the removal. I still had cauterizing (to help stop bleeding) and two layers of stitches to go, though.

The stitches

I think I dislike the stitches even more than I dislike the incision, because although I can’t feel the stitches going in, I can definitely feel the tugging on my skin as she pulls it back together and sews it up. Dr. K. does an internal layer of stitches that will dissolve and an external layer of stitches that I have to come back to have removed two weeks after surgery. Once she’s done stitching and a photo is taken of the surgical area, the area is covered with a large bandage and surgical tape, which stays on until the following morning when I remove it to wash the area and re-bandage it.

One thing I can count on is that approximately four or five hours after excisional surgery, I’m going to feel pain. And it can be pretty intense for a while. Thankfully it usually lasts just the first night. This time, though, it also hurt the following day, and I end up taking Advil several times to help ease the pain.

Bandages irritate me

Another thing I can count on is that my skin does not like the adhesive on bandages. By the end of two weeks, my skin itches and I have a red outline of where the bandages have been. I still haven’t found a bandage that doesn’t cause a reaction for me.

I’m relieved when it’s finally time to have my stitches removed. I’m once again finished with the stitches and wound care, until next time. Here’s hoping, though, that there doesn’t have to be a next time.

The small reddish area is basal cell carcinoma. It doesn’t look all that suspicious, but it’s cancer.

Judy with a basal cell carcinoma on her chest

Immediately after surgery.

Judy's bandaged chest

Photo of the stitches.

A fresh wound on Judy's chest with stitches

Stitches removed, leaving a fresh scar.

A scar on Judy's chest after her stitches were removed

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tomb Member
I’m going though the same thing right now, I will have my stitches removed next week. I had a black mole that they biopsy and the results came back, that they wanted to make sure I had clean margins and now the wait for those results, it never ends.
Judy Cloud Member
<inline-mention user-id="2087058" username="tomb"/> Hoping you receive good news. I’m sorry you’re going through this. It does feel sometimes that it’s never ending, doesn’t it? Judy, <a href='https://skincancer.net' target='_blank'>SkinCancer.net</a> Moderator
bhpen99 Member
My Melanoma Wide Excision Surgery....looks like a piece of meat. <img src="/content/images/2021/10/21/04a31b5e1cfae99e2624b8e429f117ca_medium.jpg" alt="" class="uploaded-image"/>
1. Judy Cloud Member
 <inline-mention username="bhpen99" user-id="2087263"/> Skin cancer surgery isn’t pretty and it isn’t fun. I wish more people realized that. Thank you for sharing this. We hope your healing has gone smoothly! Judy, <a href='https://skincancer.net' target='_blank'>SkinCancer.net</a> Moderator 
2. bhpen99 Member
 <inline-mention username="Judy Cloud" user-id="2094775"/> Thank you!
hawkfan01 Member
I had MOH’s for my first squamous cell carcinoma a few months ago. Located smack in the middle of my forehead! The surgeon did a great job, but I still have what I call a “zipper” going up from the bridge of my nose to my upper forehead! I’ve had a basil cell removed on my leg, but it’s all healed up and gone now. I’m hoping my new surgery fades with time too. <img src="/content/images/2022/10/19/4573d0b12ca302355b0e1f3082f94886_medium.jpeg" alt="My squamous cell carcinoma zipper" class="uploaded-image"/>
nancy555 Member
Judy, thank you so much for sharing this. I feel like i could have written this myself. Good luck. Hopefully, this is your last.
sho50 Member
Hello Judy, Very similar experience... several times over! Having had at least six occurrences of BCCs over the past five years, I've concluded that surgery is preferable to fluoruracil (Efudex) treatment, because it is much faster and there's a whole lot less itching (which is much worse than pain). But, I too have allergies to adhesives. Typically, surgical staff much over rely on heavily taped bandages, which can quickly become oozing lesions of their own that are even more painful, irritated, and at risk for infection than the primary incision! And, with care, this is almost totally avoidable. The trick is using large sterile gauze - or preferably Telfa - pads that cover well beyond the incision and stiches. If the surgical site is on your arm or lower leg, the pad can be held in place with Coban wrap or an Ace bandage that involves no adhesives. But if the incision is on a broad area, such as your chest, shoulder, neck, or thigh, the pad can be satisfactorily held in place with only minimal strips of your least inflammatory tape (I find 3M paper tape works well enough) on just two opposite corners of the pad. When changing the pad daily, tape the opposite two corners, and rotate this pattern every day, so that the taped areas have a day to "recover" (pardon the pun) before having to be taped again. You can even rotate the pad itself 1/4 turn each day, so that no corner is subjected to adhesives more than once every 4 days. This rotating securing pattern will help immensely in reducing your allergic inflammation caused by adhesives. Of course, these bandages will be much less securely sealed than if they were fully taped down, so you will need to exercise more caution to make sure dirt and germs do not get under the pads. Your surgeon may be skeptical of your ability to maintain a clean field on and around the incision site, and thus advise against it, but it really can be done quite safely; it will be up to you to prove you can do it! Also, wound after-care advice varies a whole lot from surgeon to surgeon and is somewhat dependent on the surgical methodology and stitching pattern. Some will advise you to keep the area completely dry (i.e., no bathing, showering, washing, or antibiotic ointments whatsoever, which is extremely hard to maintain with loose bandaging). Others will advise gentle daily washing with plain soap and water, but otherwise to keep the area dry. Some will advise applying a petroleum-based moisturizer (e.g., Vasoline or Aquaphor ointment) to the wound after the first 48 hours. Some will advise applying a Bacitracin antibiotic ointment daily when changing the dressing. Etc. There seems to be little concensus as to what is best! I can only advise sticking to your surgeon's recommendation, unless you have some specific reason to question it (an example might be a real need to frequently wash the area if the incision location sweats a lot due to the ambient temperature or your work). You should have this discussion BEFORE the surgery, because the surgical approach may change based on the after-care regimen that will be followed. For instance, the "shave" method of surgery leaves a more open wound than an inline, tightly stitched excision, and thus requires tighter, more sealed bandaging (such as with Tegaderm film or taping on all sides). And, that may not be tolerable if you have an allergy to adhesives.
sho50 Member
<inline-mention username="Judy Cloud" user-id="2094775"/>
pcmpcm Member
Wait til it's been on your nose 3 or 4 times, Never a sun worshiper, but it is all about outside activities- can't give them up. Take nicotinic acid and podocarpus twice a day in hopes that this will reduce episodes. cover completely- people say , " I never knew what you looked like! Basal cell at least 20 times, 1 squamous cell, and 1 lentigo melanoma.