Preparing for Surgery with Ken K. Lee, MD, PC
Most patients are scheduled directly for Mohs or excision surgery without a preoperative visit. A consultation will be done on the day of the procedure. It is important that you read this page carefully.
The website contains more information about Mohs surgery and excisional surgery. We strongly recommend that you read it. If you would like to see Dr. Lee in consultation prior to the surgery date, we will gladly schedule an appointment upon request.
The surgery is performed under local anesthesia. We suggest that you eat a normal breakfast or lunch, unless otherwise specified. Please bathe or shower and wash your hair to minimize your risk of a surgical site infection. It is recommended you do not travel or plan to participate in athletic activities for 7 – 10 days following surgery, please plan accordingly.
It is important that you do NOT take any anti-anxiety medicines, narcotic pain medicines or similar types of medicines on the day of the surgery. If needed, we will provide you with an anti-anxiety medicine once you have signed the consent form. For Mohs surgery, you will be here for several hours, so bring a book, magazine, or laptop. For excisions, you will be here for approximately 1 hour. We recommend that you have someone accompany you to give you a ride home. This is a requirement if you receive anti-anxiety medicines.
It is essential that you are able to positively identify the biopsy site on which surgery will be performed. If you cannot, please let us know ahead of time. You may need to go to your referring physician to have the site marked.
Many patients are on blood thinning medications that are prescribed by their physicians. We do not recommend stopping them without explicit permission from the prescribing physician. For those on Coumadin/Warfarin, please make sure that your INR is in the therapeutic range. Please stop taking any aspirin or anti-inflammatory medicines (like ibuprofen, Advil, Motrin, Naprosyn, Anacin and Bufferin), alcohol, vitamin E, ginko biloba and garlic pills at least one week before your surgery. They can increase your risk of bleeding during surgery. If your physician recommends aspirin please do not discontinue without permission.
If your referring physician did not make the surgery appointment for you, please call our office at 503-445-2136. Please have the name and number of the referring physician along with your insurance card ready, when you call. We are happy to address any other questions you may have at that time as well.
