Because skin surgery is done under local anaesthetic, very little special preparation is required. You should eat and drink normally on the day of your surgery, avoiding alcoholic drinks for 24 hours. If you take any regular medicines you should take these as normal, particularly if you have diabetes. However if you take regular aspirin, warfarin or other blood-thinning medicines, you should mention this to your dermatologist at the initial consultation because it may be necessary to stop these a few days before surgery. It is best to wear comfortable loose fitting clothing, to prevent rubbing on the wound after surgery. It is wise not to drive immediately after surgery and to arrange alternative means of travelling home. If your surgery is on the scalp or on the fingers please avoid application of hair sprays or nail varnish on the day of surgery as these are flammable.

When you arrive for your surgery the nurse may request that you remove some clothing or change into a gown. Please let Dr Seaton know of any changes to your medication or any medication allergies that you have. Dr Seaton will fully explain the procedure to you and answer any questions that you might have. You will then be invited to sign a consent form to confirm that you understand the procedure and that you agree to go ahead with it.

After lying down in a comfortable position the area of skin will be cleaned with an antibacterial solution and then the local anaesthetic is given. The skin surgery is then performed. After the lesion has been removed, bleeding may be stopped using a electrosurgical device which seals the blood vessels. Depending on the procedure performed, stitches may or may not be used to close the wound. A neat dressing is then applied. For some wounds a slightly bulkier pressure dressing is used to provide some pressure over the wound and minimise the chance of bleeding afterwards.

Local anaesthetic tends to wear off after 1-3 hours. At this stage you may experience some discomfort. If you need some pain relief, paracetamol (2 tablets) is often helpful. You may be given some slightly stronger painkillers to take if necessary. Please avoid aspirin, ibuprofen, Naproxen, Neurofen, diclofenac (Volterol) or other non-steroidal painkillers as these can increase the risk of bleeding.

Unless otherwise requested, you should leave your dressing in place for 24-48 hours. At this stage you can wash as normal and wet the wound with running water. Any loose scab or crust can be gently washed away to keep the wound bed looking clean, but the wound should not be firmly rubbed. The area should then be patted dry with a clean towel. Clean Vaseline should then be gently smeared over the top of the wound and a plaster or dressing re-applied. Keeping the wound covered with Vaseline encourages healing and lends to give a better result. Dressing changes and gentle washing should be repeated every 1-2 days until the stitches are removed (usually after 1 week).