Doing yoga after MOHS surgery

Hi MillsWest and a very warm welcome to the online community which I hope you'll find is both an informative and supportive place to be.

I can't help with your question but noticed your post hadn't had any replies yet. Responding to you will 'bump' it back to the top of the discussion list where it'll be easier to see.

If no one from the group is able to share their experiences with yoga after treatment, your best bet would be to contact your hospital team and ask for their advice.

Thanks latchbrook  Unfortunately my consultant is on holiday until the 22nd (when I am seeing him for a check up anyway). Waiting 2 more weeks may drive me mad! Going to a class later with a lovely teacher and will explain I may move through down dog but not hold it! 

Hi MillsWest ,

I have had several BCCs on my face and each time I was told not to put any stress on the area of the wound until it had healed over. No sport for two weeks at least and no stress on the area of the wound until it has closed.

The reason is that if you stretch the area, your body will produce collagen to protect the wound. Too much collagen will create a lumpy, thick scar that you will not be able to correct much afterwards by massage.

I don't know what part of your face is concerned or how much you could be stretching the skin around it doing yoga. Even doing exercises that stretch your neck will propagate the stretch to parts of your face. I would definitely stick to walking until the wound has closed over and you have been able to do some massage to start making the area supple again.

Patience is a small price to pay to ensure that your scar is minimized. You need to prioritize healing for now, especially until the wound has closed.

I didn't have MOHs surgery, just excision and stitches. However, I did have a small skin graft that didn't take and closed over naturally. In both cases the advice was the same, no stress on the wound, no sport for two weeks except walking and wait for the wound to heal to start massage and resume sport. I hope this helps.

Let us know if your consultant says otherwise.

Take care

Miranda

Thanks, Miranda! Super helpful to have some logic applied to why to do it/not do it. Was too wet for a walk yesterday so did half an hour of slow pedalling on my indoor exercise bike (I taught spin classes from my kitchen in lockdown, so still have leftover equipment!) and some light stretching. I'll lay off the power yoga and weightlifting though! 

Hi again MillsWest ,

I just wanted to add that I know how frustrating all of this is for you.

It is bad enough to have surgery on our faces but on top of that we have to let our fitness take a back seat for a while. It is very hard to see our well deserved form and performance slip away while we are on enforced rest. We long to get back to our usual activities but have to be patient. We've done everything we can to be fit and strong and look after our bodies and suddenly we have to stop ... for a while.

Those downward dogs will be all the sweeter when you can do them again. Let us know how you get on.

Take care

Miranda

Hi MillsWest,

I've had to try and relax a bit, as I had surgery on my forehead.  I tried doing some gentle Pilates, some of the moves are similar to Yoga, but found the down dog, and the plank were painful.  I just had to stop, as the pressure on my forehead was intense.  I too love Spin, but the nurse that attended to my dressings said not to do any Spin for a month.  

I heard an illustration the other day; you may like it.  When you are driving uphill you have to change gear, slow down, ride out the hill.  If you go too fast you may stall and stop completely.  But when you get to the top of the hill you can up the gear and drive normally. The point is you are still moving, albeit slowly. We just have to change gear for a while!

I tend to do stand up Tabata Hiit with GrowingAnnaAnas at the moment.  Just take it easy, and as Miranda says, be patient.  I'm trying to do that too.

All the best.