Surgical Post-Operative Care and Restrictions

Mohs Surgery Post Operative Care and Restrictions

Although wound care instructions may vary, general wound care instructions postoperatively include: daily cleaning of the wound with hydrogen peroxide, applying an ointment recommended by the physician, and bandaging the wound.

These wound care instructions are continued until the sutures are removed or the wound is completely healed. (Everything will be explained in detail at your appointment.)

Restrictions following surgery last for 1 week and often include:

• Limiting outdoor exposures to stents of 20 minutes or less
• No heavy work outs or extensive sweating
• For surgeries on the chest, back or arms, patients should avoid heavy lifting (over 10 lbs) for the first 1-2 weeks
• For surgeries on the legs, patients often find it necessary to limit all activities for the first couple days to limit swelling/tenderness/pain.
• With wounds on the legs, activities such as walking cause increased swelling. Swelling, in turn, increases the tenderness and pain of a surgical wound.
• Patients should limit their activity level postoperatively and increase as tolerated.
• Compression stockings may be helpful for leg wounds as they decrease swelling and tenderness.