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Skin graft or no skin graft after WLE

Paddygirl
Offline

Hi, I eventually had my melanoma removed just over 2 weeks ago. I was only expunge lesion to be removed to allow further examination as to how wide the WLE was to go. Prior to the surgery, the surgeon wanted to do WLE and skin graft. I explained that was only the small removal, but he decided to do the WLE anyway, with no skin graft, as they may want to go wider. So fast forward to today, when I got the greatt news, that tihe WLE came back with clear margins. When I asked about the skin graft, she said no, you don't need one.

im so confused. I have a 6cm wide circle on the bottom of my shin. And after 2.5 weeks, it doesn't look like it's healing at all. In fact it looks abit grim, almost blackish red, which is probably because I'm back at work and unable to rest my leg all the time.  Has anyone had experience of such an open wound just closing up by itself? If so, how long did it take?
 

  • Hi PaddyGirl and thanks for posting.

    It sounds like you are having a stressful time at the moment. It must be frustrating still having an open wound. 

    As we aren't involved in your care it is difficult to answer your question about the length of time it will take to heal.  Wounds do still look red and swollen for some time after surgery, and you can have some bruising. This will gradually disappear, but occasionally blood collects within the tissues surrounding the wound causing swelling, discomfort and hardness. This is called a haematoma. Although the blood will eventually be reabsorbed by the body, this can take a few weeks. If the haematoma causes you a lot of discomfort, you should let your specialist nurse or GP know.

    To give you an idea of what is happening with your wound, it would need to be assessed and looked at to see how it's doing and if it's healing well.  If it is being dressed it is a question you can ask your nurse.  If not you could speak to your specialist nurse as they may be able to give you some answers.

    Everyone is very different in terms of healing.  It can take a few weeks, or for some people who don't heal as quickly, it may take a few months, it does vary hugely. Most people who have a wide local excision do not need a skin graft, the area can usually heal well on it's own.

    If you notice the wound is red around the area, hot to touch, painful or has anything oozing from it, contact your GP as they may need to prescribe you some antibiotics.

    I hope this information is useful.  You may want to talk things through with one of the nurses on our helpline, the number to call is Freephone 0808 800 4040 and the lines are open from 9am till 5pm Monday to Friday.

    Take Care

    Rachel

  • Offline in reply to CRUK Nurse Rachel

    Hi there

    thank you for your reply.

    Thankfully I questioned the nurse who told me that I wouldn't need a skin graft. She told me over the phone, without knowing the size or location of the WLE. And I might add, abit rude when I dared to question her about it. 

    I asked that the consultant see me on my next appointment at the dressings clinic. As soon as he seen it, he said straight away, of course you need a skin graft. He said that it would have taken 3-4 months to heal, leaving me more prone to infections.

    I am relieved I was confident enough to question the nurse concerned, as I would not have seen the consultant until 3 months later at my check up. This would have caused my recovery to be unnecessarily lengthier than it needed to be.

    I have done this reply, only to give maybe one person confidence,  to question the medical staff, if they feel something is not quite right.

     

     

     

     

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