After Your Procedure
- Please pick up your Mupirocin ointment (and oral antibiotic if called in) from your pharmacy and start using the medication(s) tomorrow. Applying the ointment to specified areas,and taking your antibiotic as directed, will decrease the chance of infection.
- Apply the Mupirocin ointment twice a day to the anterior third (1/3rd)of each nostril.
- Also, apply the Mupirocin ointment once a day to excision site.
- Take your oral antibiotic medication (if prescribed)as directed.
Wound Care of Biopsy or Surgery Site
- You will have a pressure bandage placed on the excision site today.
- Tomorrow, take your shower with the dressing on. After your shower, peel the pressure dressing away ! Do not remove the brown Steri-Strips on the suture site, but its ok if they happen to fall off.
- gently wash the excision site with soap and water and allow it to air-dry completely Once the area is dry, apply the Mupirocin ointment, and place a BAND-AID®(or adhesive bandage) over the site,the adhesive bandage does not have to be placed tight– or airtight; it is simply there to keep the Mupirocin ointment on top of the wound.
- You will repeat this process of cleansing the site, applying Mupirocin ointment and rebandaging the site every day until you come in for suture removal.
- If you are having any discomfort, you may take Tylenol®only.
- If your surgery is on your hand or finger, please remove all rings before your procedure. Swelling after surgery is common and rings can become difficult or impossible to remove.
- If your surgery is on the forehead or temple area, swelling around the eyes and bruising (“black eyes”) are not uncommon and usually improve over several days.
- Things to avoid for the next 48 hours:
- NO Aspirin, Ibuprofen or Motrin®
- NO exercise, don’t get your heart rate up
- NO alcohol
- Keeping tension off of the sutures will result in better cosmetic results and reduce the risk of wound opening or sutures coming apart.
- It is normal for the surgical site to swell after your procedure. As the swelling improves, it may seem to move downward due to gravity. This is expected and does not usually indicate a problem.
- If your sutures are located on your arms or legs, keep this area snugly wrapped with an Ace™ bandage for three weeks.
- It is normal for healing excision site to feel slightly tender to the touch and look pink around the edges.
- If the wound becomes sore, red, swollen, or hot– please contact the office at 703-723-7171 and dial extension #3.
- After Steri-Strips fall off after your suture removal ,use silicone scar sheet/tape every night for the next 2-3 months. Reusable up to a week, you can purchase at any drug store or Amazon.