Excision Surgery

Excisions are in office procedures that usually take about 30 minutes.

They are used for spots that have depth to them as an excision goes down to the fat layer of the skin. We do numb the area locally (like what was done with the biopsy), cut the area out, and then stitch the area up with sutures. There are usually inner sutures that slowly dissolve over about a year and offer some structural integrity after the outer sutures are removed in usually 5-21 days depending on the area, the size of the excision, and other factors.

It is important to not let water in the shower wash over the area for at least 2 days (areas like lower legs should be 4 days) because the area will not be water tight and if you let dirty water wash over a surgery site that is not yet water tight, that can cause an infection.

Also, please do not do any activity that puts direct pull or pressure to the area for 6 weeks so that the wound can heal without being stressed.