Skin graft aftercare

Mumster

Hi Sarah

That's great news that your BCC is healing well. I haven't had a skin graft so can't answer your questions about using vaseline and sunscreen but I'm tagging into my reply to you as she had a forehead flap and might be able to help.

Wishing you all the best

x

Hello Sarah

I had a full thickness skin graft last year but from under my nose through my lip. I put Vaseline over all of it until it had completely healed. Then after about 10 to 12 weeks I started to use my normal moisturiser and Sun cream. Hope this helps.

Sue

Thank you so much

Sarah

X

Hi Sue, 

Thank you so much for replying, yes that helps a lot. 

Really appreciate it

Sarah 

Hi Mumster

Hi Sarah

I had a forehead flap rather than skin graft to cover where i had a BCC removed from the bridge of my nose back in April.

Not sure how similar they are but like you i was really pleased with how it healed.

I massaged the area with bio oil and i wear spf 30 day cream each day, but wear a dermatological sun cream spf 50 each day now the weather is sunnier.

I have just been on holiday and with the spf 50 sun cream and cap my face was well protected.

Mine is starting to look more like my skin now but still raised and not sure this will flatten, but cancer gone and result much better than i expected.

Hope this helps.

Helen

Hi all,

This has given me a boost to find out and see this forum and hear all your stories. And it's great to know that there's someone who understands.  I'm 2 weeks post op for BCC on end of my nose. 

The Moh's was successful after the first attempt (phew) which meant I didn't get the cheek flap that was originally suggested, we went for a skin graft from the side of my ear.  I was given paraffin ointment to put on the wounds daily but not sure how long I need to do this for??

I'm still very nervous about being around a lot of people as 1. I don't want to risk getting any infection in the wounds and 2. having to explain what I've had done.  I'm a bit teary about it all.  I know it's not a big thing compared to other cancers (my mum is having radiotherapy for bladder cancer as we speak). Maybe just with everything that's going on it's making me a bit more emotional than normal??  Anyone else feeling the same?

Thanks

Nikki

Thank you so much for posting, it's so good to hear advice from others in similar situation.

Best wishes and thank you

Sarah 

Hi Nikki,

Oh I feel for you. I can only speak for myself obviously, but for the first week after surgery, I was an emotional wreck, very quick to burst into tears if anyone was remotely nice to me! I had a dressing stitched on over the graft for the first week, which I had to cover over while the kids were around or they wouldn't look at me.

All I can say is you will feel better as time goes on. Once they took the dressing off after a week, it was just amazing how quickly it healed. Obviously, it still looks like a patchwork on my forehead, but I feel so much better about it in a relatively short time. 

I use bio oil  on the graft (still got a few scabs) daily, and I think I will for a while yet. 

I don't think there's anything wrong with being emotional and it sounds like you've got a lot going on. 

I hope everything goes well. 

Best wishes

Sarah

Hi Sarah

Thanks so much for your reply, I'm in tears reading it now, I don't know where it all comes from!!  Good to know it's not just me though so thank you for letting me know how you were feeling too.

I had a dressing stitched on top of the graft too and when I went on Friday back to the hospital the nurse who was removing my stitches hadn't come across it before and had to go and get another nurse and by the time they were looking and working out what to do I had fainted!!  Felt such an idiot!

Someone else mentioned Bio Oil to me for scars.  I have a tube of paraffin ointment they gave me at the hospital but never said how long to use it for. 

Thanks again for posting this, I'm feeling lots better already (sob sob!!)

 And all the very best with your healing too!

Nikki x