Hi,

I had MOHS surgery for a squamous cell on my cheek yesterday which seemed to be small - But they used 10 stitiches to close up the area and the scar will be about an inch or so. I am thankful they removed all of the cancer and it was not terribly painful but I am concerned about the scarring. Can anyone explain how the scar heals from this surgery? I asked to see the stitching when they were done and was surprised it was so long. Any suggestions on dealing with the scarring? It will be vertical from near the top of my nose almost to the bottom. Thanks for your suggestions.

I had MOH's surgery on my temple a couple of years ago and the scar is almost invisible.

I had MOH's surgery on my temple a couple of years ago and the scar is almost invisible.

Thanks for the encouragement, Saraly. It sounds like you did not do anything special - no further treatment was needed post op to lessen the scar. Did you use any particular skin products for scarring that helped?

I didn't use anything for the scarring, it healed nicely by itself. I can barely see where the surgery was done.

I didn't use anything for the scarring, it healed nicely by itself. I can barely see where the surgery was done.

Saraly, I can't remember if I've asked you this before, but how big was the BCC on your temple, and how long had it been there before you had the surgery?

Thanks.

I had 12 tiny stitches in the incision. I don't know how long I had the BCC, probably not too long because at the time I was being checked every six months. I was being checked yearly when I had the BCCs then every 6 months when my Father was diagnosed with melanoma. I had an early lentigo melanoma removed in November and now have to be screened every 3 months.

Jeez... i'm worried about mine. It's about the size of a pencil eraser and it's been there for almost three years. The doctor said it shouldn't leave a big scar, but now I don't know. I don't want to have to wear a bandage for weeks, and I have a wedding to go to in six weeks. My surgery is Monday.

Basal cells grow very slowly and you don't know how long it was precancerous before it became cancerous. There are creams that the dermatologist can use on spots that are precancerous. I've used Efudex followed by a mild Cortisone cream on precancerous lesions.
If the wedding is 6 weeks after the surgery you will most likely have a red line where the surgery is but it will be healed enough to cover with make up.
If you're very concerned and it's important you look your best for pictures you could ask the doctor to postpone your surgery until after the wedding.

Thanks for the tip. I think I will do that.

Just wanted to chime in. I just went through my second Mohs surgery on my brow in Jan 04. The first time I had a bc removed that had been growing for about two years (2000). The scar was pretty big (about an inch long). It healed beautifully. Then 3 1/2 years later a small spot started to grow from the scar line. This spot was very small and had only grown for about 6 months or so. Seemed to be growing much quicker. It is not true that all basal cells are slow growers. I just learned this the hard way. The 2nd spot was removed and for cosmetic reasons (saving my brow) I now have two 1 1/2 inch scars around my brow. I am in the "red" stage of healing so everything looks red to me. I know it will heal nicely but I fear more spots in the future. Even have a small red spot growing in the other corner of my brow as we speak. I am getting it biopsied on Monday. It has been growing 6 mos. The type of basal cell that I have is called morpheaform infiltrative. It is an aggressive form of basal cell that grows quickly and spreads to surrounding tissue. Don't mess around with these things. Especially if it is on your face. My advice is to get it bipsied then figure out how/when to treat them as there are different sub types to be concerned with.

About the scarring. I agree, for such a small spot the Mohs seems pretty intrusive!! I know they heal nice but I am not always sure why the scars are so big? Cosmetic reasons I guess but it doesn't make it any easier to deal with.

Hi...I had a 2 inch long incision done on my cheek for Mohs. 2 weeks later the scar looked so good, I was almost in tears. I do not scar well, usually I keloid but he told me that the face does not keloid. With no makeup, you can barely see the scar. With makeup, you can see it a tiny bit more, since the makeup kind of sinks in a little, but all it looks like is a thin line. Mohs is truly awesome!