Tangential excision of facial changes

What is tangential excision of facial changes and what is it used for?

Tangential excision is a surgical procedure for removing skin changes. This procedure involves removing the skin change along with some of the surrounding healthy skin.

When it comes to facial changes, tangential excision is usually used to remove benign skin lesions such as moles, keratoses, or fibroids.

How is tangential excision of facial changes performed?

The procedure is performed under local anesthesia, and stitches may be required after the procedure.

During the surgical procedure, the surgeon will make incisions around the skin change and remove it along with some of the surrounding healthy skin. If necessary, the surgeon can also remove deeper layers of skin.

After removing the lesion, the surgeon will carefully check that the entire lesion has been removed and check for bleeding. If necessary, the wound can be closed with stitches. In case the change was removed along with the lower layers of skin, it may be necessary to close the wound using skin taken from another region of the body.

What does recovery look like after tangential excision of facial changes?

After tangential excision, a scar may appear at the site of the removed change, which is more or less visible, depending on the size and position of the change on the skin and the individual characteristics of the patient.

It is important to follow the doctor's instructions and take care of the wound to ensure that the wound heals as well as possible and that the scar is as minimal as possible.

After the procedure, the patient will be referred for further wound care measures. This may include changing the dressing and using antibiotics to prevent infection. Also, it is important to avoid sun rays in the area of the operated wound until the skin heals.