You have had an electrodesiccation and curettage (scraping and burning), a procedure in which an instrument called a curette is used to scrape away the abnormal cancer cells and electric cautery is used to further treat the lesion as well as stop any bleeding.
- Clean the wound daily with antibacterial soap and water.
- After cleansing, apply a thin coat of Polsporin or Vaseline to the area (do NOT use Neosporin, which may cause an allergic reaction) and bandage every day until the wound is healed.
- During normal healing of this type of wound, you can expect to see a yellowish center with a red surrounding edge. This area will slowly decrease in size as your wound heals until it is completely healed over. The resulting scar will be round and either pink/red, white or purple (on the lower extremities).
- Bleeding is rare, but if it should occur, apply direct, firm pressure to the bleeding site for a full 15 minutes without easing up. If the bleeding continues, despite your efforts, please call the office or, after hours, call 498-3636 to speak to a provider. It may be necessary to go to the emergency room.
- It can take up to 4-6 weeks for your wound to heal completely (2-3 months to completely heal on the lower extremities). Initially, some oozing from the site is normal. The wound is healed when there is no longer a crust on the site or drainage on the bandage.
- If you have any questions or concerns regarding your wound or associated healing, please call our office at 216-4337.
