Biopsy & Surgical Wound Care
For those patients who need a reminder of how to take care of their biopsy or surgery site, below is a re-print of the instructions that were provided to you after your procedure:
For Surgery Done in Our Office
- Keep area as dry as possible for 48 hours.
- After 48 hours, you may remove the dressing. Leave any strips that cover the surgical wound to fall off by themselves. Remove strips if still present 4 days after surgery.
- Wash the area as normal with soap and water, then cleanse the area twice a day with hydrogen peroxide.
- After cleaning, cover the area with a thin layer of Polysporin ointment.
(Polysporin available without a prescription.) Do NOT use Neosporin or “triple-antibiotic” ointment. - Keep area covered with a bandage or gauze dressing. Use paper tape to keep gauze dressing in place. Band-Aid Flexible Fabric Bandages work very well.
- Return for suture removal as instructed.
For Punch/Shave Biopsies
- Keep area as dry as possible until the morning following the biopsy.
- After normally cleaning the area, apply a thin layer of Polysporin ointment two times each day until fully healed. Do NOT use Neosporin or “triple-antibiotic” ointment.
- If sutures were placed, return for removal as instructed.
- You do not need to keep area covered with a bandage unless sutures were placed. If there are sutures, please keep the area covered until the sutures are removed.
