Benign Lesions

Small benign lesions may be removed in our office, but for larger masses or more complex lesions we may recommend that the surgery be performed at St. Joseph Outpatient Surgery Center so we have all of the resources we need to safely and properly perform your surgery and close your wound.  If you have high risk medical conditions, St. Joseph Hospital is another location where we operate.  We will let you know the location of your surgery on the day of your consultation. 

For surgeries performed in our office, please arrive 15 minutes ahead of your scheduled appointment.

If you require surgery outside of our office, please be prepared to check into the surgery location at least one hour before your scheduled surgery time.  While most lesions are removed under local anesthesia (meaning, you'll be awake), you will change into a hospital gown and have the procedure in an operating room.  This allows us to have all of the resources necessary to remove your lesion and close your wound in the best possible way. 

If your surgery is done while you are awake, you can eat and drink normally on the day of your surgery. 

If you choose to have your surgery under general anesthesia, you will need to be fasting for at least 8 hours prior to the surgery.  You will receive specific instructions prior to the surgery. 

Most medications can be continued normally prior to skin cancer surgery.  Please make sure that we have an updated list of your medications during your consultation so that we can give instructions for any medications that may need to be stopped. 

We will give you specific post-operative instructions following your surgery, and you can also review our post-op instructions by following the link below. 

Some things to expect: 

• We will ask you to avoid exercise for at least one week following surgery to allow for optimal blood flow and minimal swelling to the wound.  We do not want you doing any activities that could stress the wound as it is in the early stages of healing.  
• You will need to do some wound care following surgery, and we will give you instructions to guide you.  
• We will see you for follow up at 1-2 weeks post-op to check your wounds and remove any sutures.  A specific date will be given to you on the day of surgery. 
• If you need surgery on the lower extremities:  please be prepared that you will need to elevate your leg for 1-2 weeks following surgery.  This is most important for skin graft repairs, where you will need to arrange for support the week after surgery as you will be resting and elevating your leg.