Heal from a skin biopsy

Video: How to Take Care of Your Skin Biopsy Site

Content

To step
Part 1 of 2: Taking care of the biopsy site after surgery
Part 2 of 2: Caring for the scar at the biopsy site
Tips
Warnings
Necessities

A skin biopsy is a medical procedure in which a small piece of skin tissue is removed, prepared for testing, and examined under a microscope for certain skin conditions and diseases, such as skin cancer or seborrheic dermatitis. There are several methods of taking a sample of tissue for skin biopsies, depending on the size and location of the suspicious area on the skin, and the site may require stitching after surgery. Regardless of the size of the skin biopsy and whether or not you received stitches, you can heal the area where the skin biopsy was taken with the help of medical treatments and home remedies.

To step

Part 1 of 2: Taking care of the biopsy site after surgery

Determine the type of skin biopsy you have had. Your doctor can use a variety of methods to remove the skin for a biopsy. Determine what kind of biopsy you had to heal the area more effectively.
- A shave biopsy removes the top layers of the skin or epidermis and part of the dermis, using a razor-like tool. A shave biopsy usually does not require stitches.
- A punch biopsy removes a smaller and deeper section of the skin compared to a shave biopsy. Larger punch biopsies may require stitches.
- An excisional biopsy removes a large area of abnormal skin with a scalpel. It is common practice to close the site of an excisional biopsy with stitches.
Cover the wound with a band-aid. Depending on the size of the biopsy and whether the wound continues to bleed after surgery, your doctor may instruct you to put on a band-aid for a day or more. This will protect the wound and absorb blood.
- If the area is bleeding, put on a new patch and apply light pressure. If the wound is bleeding or the bleeding continues for a long time, contact your doctor.
Leave patches on for the first day after the biopsy. The day after your biopsy, leave the patch applied by your doctor. Make sure the plasters and the wound site remain dry. This will help the area heal and keep bacteria away from the wound.
- Make sure to keep the area dry for the first day after your biopsy. You can take a shower the day after the procedure and keep the area clean.
Change the wound plaster daily. You should change the patch on the biopsy site daily. This will help keep the area clean and dry and can prevent infections or severe scarring.
- Make sure to use a band-aid under which the wound can breathe. This allows the air to flow so that the wound can heal better. Make sure that only the non-sticky part of the patch touches the wound.
- You can buy breathable patches at most drugstores and many supermarkets. Your doctor can also provide you with a bandage for the wound.
- You will need to use a patch for an average of 5-6 days, but this can also take up to two weeks.
- Continue to change patches every day until you no longer see an open wound or your doctor instructs you to stop.
- Depending on the type of biopsy you have had, your doctor may instruct you not to use patches for the first day (or longer). This can be the case if you are attached.
Wash your hands before touching the biopsy site. Whenever you touch the biopsy site or apply a clean band-aid, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water beforehand. This can prevent bacteria from infecting the wound.
- You do not need to purchase special soap. Any soap is good for disinfecting your hands.
- Make sure to scrub your hands in warm water for at least 20 seconds.
Keep the biopsy site clean. It is important to keep the biopsy site clean while it heals to prevent infections. Washing the area daily can help prevent bacteria from multiplying in that area.
- You don't need special soap to clean the biopsy site. Simple soap and water is effective enough to disinfect the area. If the wound is on your head, use shampoo to keep the area clean.
- Make sure to rinse the biopsy site well with warm water. This will remove excess soap and will not irritate the sensitive area.
- If the wound is otherwise healthy and not infected, changing the plasters and washing the area daily is enough to keep it clean. Your doctor may recommend that you rinse the wound with something like hydrogen peroxide; follow your doctor's recommendations, but don't apply anything to the wound without asking first.
Use an antibiotic ointment or petroleum jelly. Once you've cleaned the biopsy site, apply an antibiotic ointment or petroleum jelly if instructed to do so by your doctor. Ointments keep the wound moist and reduce scabies, so the wound heals faster. Then reapply the patch.
- Apply the ointment with a clean cotton swab or clean fingers.
Avoid strenuous activity for a few days. For the first few days following your skin biopsy, refrain from any strenuous activity, such as heavy lifting or anything that makes you sweat a lot. Otherwise, this can not only cause bleeding and cause scars to develop further, but can also irritate sensitive skin. It is important not to engage in strenuous activities until the stitches have been removed.
- If you can't avoid this, at least make sure you don't bump the biopsy site or engage in other activities that could stretch the skin. This can lead to bleeding and stretching of the skin, which can cause the final scar to enlarge.
Take painkillers. It is normal to experience some (nagging) pain, and for the site to remain sensitive at the biopsy site in the days immediately following the biopsy. Take over-the-counter pain relievers to relieve pain and prevent swelling.
- Take over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen. Ibuprofen can also help reduce some of the swelling that results from the procedure.
Have your doctor remove the stitches. If your biopsy required stitches, make an appointment with your doctor to have them removed. It is important to keep stitches in all the time as directed by the doctor so that the wound can heal properly and there is no large scar left.
- It's not uncommon for stitches to itch. If so, you can apply a light coat of antibiotic ointment or petroleum jelly to relieve itching and help prevent infections.
- If the itchiness is very bothersome, you can apply a cool, wet washcloth to the area to help reduce the itchiness.
If problems arise, see your doctor. If you notice excessive bleeding, or pus and other symptoms of an infection (such as redness, warmth, swelling, or fever) around the biopsy site, get it checked out by your doctor immediately. This can check for an infection and help prevent more serious complications.
- It is normal for the biopsy site to bleed a little or leak pink fluid for a few days after the procedure. Excessive bleeding means that a patch or bandage becomes soaked with blood.
- It usually takes several weeks for a biopsy site to heal, but it should be healed within two months.

Part 2 of 2: Caring for the scar at the biopsy site

Keep in mind that a biopsy always leaves a scar. Any biopsy will leave a scar. Depending on the size of the biopsy, it may be a large scar or one that is barely noticeable. Taking care of the wound and surrounding skin can help the scar to heal well and be as small as possible.
- Scars gradually fade over time and the skin does not acquire its permanent color until one to two years after the biopsy.
Do not scratch the skin or wound. The wound can form a scab or simply turn into a scar while healing. In both cases it is important not to scratch a scab or the skin in order to allow the wound to heal properly and to keep the scar as small as possible.
- Scratching the skin or wound can introduce bacteria into the wound and cause infection.
Keep the skin moist at all times. While the wound and scar are healing, keep the area moist with an ointment, such as petroleum jelly or antibiotic ointment. This will help the skin to heal properly and keep the scar from getting bigger.
- The best way to keep the skin moist is to apply a light coat of ointment such as Vaseline or Aquaphor to the wound 4-5 times a day.
- You can apply the ointment for 10 days or more, if needed.
- If you still have a band-aid on the biopsy site, apply the ointment first.
- You can get petroleum jelly and other ointments at the drugstore and supermarket.
Apply silicone gel to heal scars. Recent studies suggest that applying a thin film of silicone gel helps scars heal. If you are prone to keloids or hypertrophic scars, you can ask your doctor to prescribe your silicone gel to help treat (potential) scars.
- Keloids are bump-shaped and reddish nodules that can form at a biopsy site or other damage to the skin. They occur in about 10% of the population.
- Hypertrophic scars resemble keloids and are more common. They can fade over time.
- Your doctor may be able to treat keloids or hypertrophic scars with a steroid injection.
- Silicone gels moisturize your skin and allow it to breathe. They prevent the growth of bacteria and collagen, which can affect the size of your scar.
- Silicone gel films can usually be used without problem on children and people with sensitive skin.
- Most patients can start using silicone gel within days of a wound closing. Once you get a silicone gel recipe, you should apply a thin film of it twice a day.
Avoid sun exposure or use sunscreen on the scar. The skin that will form a scar is very sensitive. Stay out of the sun or use sunscreen to prevent the scar from burning and discoloring more than necessary.
- Cover the wound and scar to protect it from the sun.
- Use a sunscreen with a high SPF to help prevent an exposed scar or biopsy site from burning and discoloring too much.
Ask your doctor if scar massage is right for you. In many cases, scar massage can be started about four weeks after the biopsy. It can make the scar heal faster and make it less noticeable. Ask your doctor to show you how to massage the scar.
- Scar massage can also help prevent scar tissue from sticking, or getting stuck, to the muscles, tendons, and other tissues under your skin.
- In general, use slow, circular movements to massage the skin around your scar. Apply firm pressure, but do not pull or tug on the skin. Massage 2-3 times a day for 5-10 minutes.
- Your doctor may also recommend elastic therapeutic tape, such as Kinesio Tape, over your scar area as it heals. The movement of the band can help prevent the scar from sticking to the underlying tissues.

Tips

If the biopsy site is sutured, avoid swimming, bathing, or any other activity that completely immerses the wound in water until the sutures are removed. Running water over the wound, such as during a rain shower, should not cause a problem.
Contact your doctor if you are concerned about the way the area is healing or any scarring.

Warnings

Call your doctor if the biopsy site turns red, is swollen, or feels painful and warm, or is still leaking 3-4 days after your biopsy. These could be signs of an infection that may require antibiotics.