You have been directed to this page as you have been offered a Minor Operation appointment. It important that you take the time to read the following safety information prior to attending your appointment at Laira Surgery with Dr Golding-Cook.
Your GP will already have explained the need for you to undergo minor surgery.
We hope that the information and advice below will make things easier for you and help to answer any questions that you may have regarding your operation.
If, after reading this information sheet, you have any doubts or concerns, please discuss these fully with your GP before the procedure.
If you are happy to process please respond to the SMS message that we sent you via the link as pictured below with ‘YES’. If you have changed your mind and no longer require the appointment please respond ‘CANCEL’. If an acknowledgment is not received within 1 week then unfortunately your appointment will be cancelled. For a fuller guide please visit – Guide on responding to an SMS
Before the procedure:
Your diet: You may eat and drink normally prior to having your operation
Your appointment: Please arrive in good time for your procedure. Your minor operation will probably take between 20-30 minutes to complete and you will be able to go home directly afterwards. If you feel at all nervous, we suggest you arrange to bring a friend or relative along for moral support. All young people below the age of 16 years must be accompanied by a responsible adult.
Your consent: You will be asked to sign a consent form (unless you are under the age of 16 years when both patient/guardian must sign). This form indicates to us that you are aware of what is involved and you agree to it being done. When you are asked to sign this form, please tell us about any tablets, medicines or sprays that you are taking. Also tell us if you have known allergies.
Your dress: Dress in comfortable clothing which will allow your GP to easily and clearly see the part of your body involved, or be prepared to undress to give appropriate exposure of the area. Do not wear clothes that would spoil if you were to get blood on them.
During the procedure:
Skin marking: We rarely mark the area to be operated on with ink
Local anaesthetic: In most cases, a local anaesthetic is injected just under the skin around the operation area. It causes a sharp sting which lasts 5-10 seconds. The operation will then pass pain-free. Please tell us if you feel any discomfort or have previously experienced any difficulty when having local anaesthetic.
Stitches: Most procedures will be very small and some may not require stitches. Where they do, the wound will be closed using as many stitches as necessary. Stitches will normally be left in place for between 5-14 days. Some areas heal quicker than others. On the face, for example, stitches will normally be removed sooner than those on the back and thighs.
After the procedure: Appointment: If necessary, you will be asked to make an appointment so your stitches can be removed by the GP performing your minor operation. We will advise you of how long to leave dressings in a place.
Taking Care of your wound: Your wound may feel a little sore for a few days but any discomfort will soon disappear as the wound heals. Newly healed wounds take several weeks to gain strength and taking extra care during this period will improve the final appearance of the scar. It is sensible to avoid sports or other activities which may stretch the scar
Problems that can sometimes occur:
In the vast majority of cases there will be no complications or long term side effects. There are, however, a few problems which very occasionally occur and it is less worrying if you are aware f them in case they arise.
Inflammation: Normally you will notice a slight redness around the stitches which may cause some discomfort. This usually settles down on its own after the stitches have been removed.
Infection: Sometimes the wounded area can become infected. This gives rise to pain, swelling and redness or there may sometimes be pus present. If this happens, you should contact your GP so that the wound can be checked to decide whether a course of antibiotics is necessary.
Bleeding: Very occasionally when you have left the surgery a wound may start to bleed. Most bleeding can be stopped by simply applying pressure to the wound for 5-10 minutes. If the affected area is a limb, keeping it raised will also help.
Fainting: A few people feel faint or sick during or immediately after an operation. If you do, let us know and we will take steps to make you feel a lot better. Patients who have fainted will be observed in the waiting room until they feel well enough to go home.
Scarring: It is impossible to perform an operation without the risk of leaving a scar although we do everything we can to keep this to a minimum. It should be borne in mind that the actual scar will in many cases be bigger than the lesion removed. Usually the scar fades with time, but it can sometimes take many months.
Raised scarring: This can sometimes develop a few weeks after surgery. It is more common in wounds which have been sufficiently immobilised. This type of scaring is due mainly to an individual, inherent tendency to form scar tissue and is more common on the front of the chest, upper arms and upper back. They can occur in anyone, but the problem is more common in Afro-Caribbean skin type and young females (<20 years old). If you have previously had a problem with thickened scars, please let us know.
Skin surgery aftercare tips
Keep the site clean and dry for the following 24-48 hours.
When the local anaesthetic wears off the wound can become a little painful, therefore we recommended that you take either paracetamol or ibuprofen as soon as you can after your surgery is completed. (as long as there are no reasons as why you should not take these drugs)
Observe the wound over the next few days for any sign of infection such as: Increased pain, Redness, Heat and Pus. If any of these signs or symptoms appear please contact the practice nurse.
If you have stitches in your wound, the doctor will inform you how long they need to stay in place. Please make an appointment to see the practice nurse to have them removed.
Most, but not all, samples removed during skin surgery will be sent to the laboratory at the hospital to be analysed, the results can take up to 4 weeks to return.
We recommend you contact us to obtain the results after 4 weeks.
We will inform you if results are abnormal or any further treatment is required.
Due to COVID to keep staff and patients as safe as possible;
Please be reassured that to make appointments as safe as possible we have introduced the following procedures for incoming patients. We do also ask that this appointment is attended unaccompanied to enable us to keep the minimum amount of people in the building at one time to reduce the risk of spread.
- We operate a strict hot and cold site policy – anyone with a fever or symptoms of COVID is not allowed in any of our buildings but are seen in the COVID hot hub at Devonport.
- We check the temperatures of all staff and patients on arrival at our buildings (if anyone’s temperature is over 37.8 they are turned away)
- We ask patients and staff about symptoms of COVID infection in their household prior to any attendance at our buildings – they are not allowed in if they have any symptoms
- We have redesigned our waiting rooms to facilitate social distancing
- We have the minimum number of people in the building at any one time
- We ask all people arriving at our building to use alcohol gel on arrival
- We wear masks and gloves for all clinical contact to keep you safe
- If you do not have your own mask we will provide one for you when you enter the building
