If you aren't sure what to expect when you get out of skin cancer removal surgery, except that you are going to be sore, there are some things you can do to prepare for the procedure in advance. You want to be able to leave the surgical location and rest without a lot of stress, and there are some ways that you can avoid complications after surgery. Here are a few things that you must consider when planning for your surgery day.

Have a Ride Home

You'll only be given local anesthesia to help keep you comfortable while they remove all the cancerous cells, but your skin has to be stitched up, sutured, or grafted afterwards. You don't want to turn quickly or make a movement trying to drive home that could tear your stitches or skin and alter your recovery or that could cause unnecessary scarring.

Wear a Button or Zip Top

You shouldn't have to pull something over your head to get dressed after you've had surgery of any kind on your face. Instead of wearing a shirt with a narrow collar, make sure that you wear something that zips or buttons all the way up instead. When you're ready to leave, you don't have to irritate the removal area in any way with fabric.

Have Prescriptions Prepared in Advance

If the doctors require that you take any type of medication to prevent infection, or you have to put a cream on your face to help with the healing, make sure that you get it before you have surgery so it's waiting for you when you get home. Ask the doctors for the prescriptions in advance, or call them in when you check in for surgery so you are ready to get them on the way home with your ride. This allows you to rest for the entire day when you get home.

Outdoor Protection

Have a hat of some sort ready to cover the surgical area the day of your appointment, and when you go in for your follow up. You don't want UV rays to damage the tissue or discolor the area, which can prevent healing and affect scarring.

Talk with your surgeon about any other problems that you could have when you are ready to leave the surgical facility and about what you can do to improve the results of your surgery. Proper preparation before can make a huge difference in your recovery results. For further information about this surgery, you may also wish to speak with a representative from an establishment like Countryside Dermatology & Laser Center.