There are a full host of lesions that can occur in the skin and soft tissues of the body. The majority are not malignant. The most common of these are lipomas and sebaceous cysts. We surgically treat the following skin and soft tissue:
Patients are seen in consultation to discuss the options for the particular condition and scheduled for removal and biopsy at a future appointment. Many of the excisions can be done in the office depending on both the patient’s and doctor’s discretion. If the patient cannot have the procedure done in the office, a time will be scheduled at the hospital or the outpatient facility. Most of these procedures are done within an hour under local anesthesia and the patient is free to go home with instructions for follow up care. If necessary, an office appointment will be scheduled for a follow up visit to check the wound or stitch removal at which time the pathology results will be reviewed.
The link below to a brief 26 second YouTube video by Mr. Scott Shackleford demonstrates quite nicely the three components of normal wound healing.
Wounds of this type (full thickness loss of tissue into subcutaneous fat) develop granulation tissue–“healing tissue” which
brings in new blood vessels and tissue and fills the wound.
At the same time the wounds undergo contraction–which results in a smaller volume of injury that the body ultimately has to deal with.
The final stages demonstrate epithelialization–the part where granulation tissue gets covered with skin, or epithelium.
While this wound, about the size of a U.S. Quarter is relatively small compared to some wounds we see, the basic process of wound healing still applies to wounds that are many times this size. It may take longer to heal the larger ones but with patience and care the human body does an amazing job.
Still after the wound is “skinned” over, or epithelialized, changes continue to occur to the scar over time. Generally scars become lighter in color and softer over time. These changes may take up to 12 months to occur. During this time no dressings are needed. Occasionally some patients will rub in hand lotion or various creams to decrease the dryness and possibly accelerate the softening and maturation of the scar.
Thank you to Mr. Shackleford for providing this educational video for Foris Surgical Group to share with our patients and other visitors to our website.
Foris Surgical Group Information on Pilonidal Cysts