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Skin Abscess Surgery In A Nutshell
Surgery for skin abscess is a minor surgery to lance your skin abscess. This means that your surgeon will open and drain the pus from your abscess and relieve the pressure on your wound. Once the abscess has drained, your surgeon will insert packing into the remaining cavity to minimise bleeding. This keeps your wound open for one or two days to allow any remaining pus to drain away. This helps your wound to heal, prevents spread of infection and prevents the abscess from returning.
It can be done as a simple outpatient procedure. Many patients feel better immediately after the abscess has been drained.
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Saucerisation refers to the surgical removal of tissue that results in a shallow depression on the skin to facilitate drainage of pus and fluid from infected areas of a wound. This procedure is usually applied during skin abscess surgeries to allow the infected region to be drained of bacteria and pus, thereby stopping the spread of the infection.
It is a recommended treatment when it comes to dealing with skin abscess as they can be persistent and cause great pain and discomfort when left on their own.
When draining the skin abscess, our doctor will apply local anaesthesia to numb the surgical site before the procedure begins. Most patients do not experience any form of pain throughout the procedure.
However, it may be common to experience pain after the procedure as the wound is healing. In these cases, our doctor may prescribe you with painkillers to help ease the discomfort.
You may be required to avoid movements and heavy lifting in the initial week after the procedure to prevent aggravating the wound.
In general, it is recommended that a skin abscess be drained if it exceeds 0.4cm in depth from the skin surface. With that said, seeking professional advice from a doctor on how you should manage your skin abscess would allow you to know the proper steps in preventing it from worsening.
In some cases, patients may require drainage even if the abscess is small as it can cause pain and discomfort, affecting your daily activities.
During the procedure
The procedure will last for up to 15 minutes. It may require a longer time should you be placed under general anaesthesia.
Most people who undergo a skin abscess surgery will be able to return to their normal routine within 1 day after surgery. You should expect the abscess to take approximately 2-3 weeks to completely heal.
Most skin abscesses that are drained completely and treated properly after the surgery do not recur. If an abscess returns, it suggests that bacteria may still be found in the original site, leading to a recurrence of the infection.
This can occur when tending to the wound if proper care were not adhered to, such as frequent changing of dressing and keeping the wound dry.
Maintaining good personal hygiene and wound care is key to preventing a skin abscess from recurring.
A professional general surgeon or dermatologist will be able to assist you in treating your skin abscess. For both practitioners, drainage of the pus in the infected region followed by a saucerisation procedure may be applied to prevent the infection from spreading further.
These procedures are usually carried out at the clinic and they can be completed in less than an hour. You will be able to return to your activity after the procedure, although in some cases, you may be advised to avoid strenuous activities in the next few days to prevent aggravation of the wound.
G&L Surgical Clinic will do our best to provide you with an estimate of your out-of-pocket expenses before your procedure. With a comprehensive financing service, we endeavour to assist you in finding the most suitable financing option to enjoy a seamless and pleasant experience. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions. We are here to help you get the care you need.
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