What should you know about surgical excision for melanoma?

The surgeon marks the lesion and removes it with surrounding tissue. The wound may be closed directly or require a graft or flap when the area is larger or lies in a place where skin needs rearranging. The removed tissue goes to a laboratory, where its features and edges are assessed. The report helps the team decide whether the excision is complete and whether additional management or specialist review is needed.

Mohs surgery may be discussed for selected skin cancers in anatomically sensitive areas, but melanoma planning depends on the diagnosis and site. A suspicious mole is not automatically melanoma; tissue examination establishes the diagnosis.

Bring a list of medicines and tell the team about bleeding disorders, allergies, immune conditions, and previous problems with scars. Follow instructions about cleansing, dressings, bathing, and activity. Keep the wound protected from friction and sun, avoid picking at scabs, and attend suture removal or wound checks. Keep the pathology appointment because the report can affect the next step even when the skin looks healed.

Contact the surgical team for bleeding that continues despite pressure, increasing pain, spreading redness, warmth, pus-like drainage, wound separation, or fever. Seek urgent care for severe swelling, faintness, breathing difficulty, or uncontrolled bleeding. Report a new changing spot, a persistent lump near the scar, or swollen nodes during follow-up.

Ask what margin is planned, how the wound will close, when pathology results are expected, whether further surgery is possible, how the scar should be protected, and which skin checks are recommended.