Robert Frank, MD Plastic Surgery treats a variety of skin-related concerns for patients from Munster, Hobart, Crown Point, and Frankfort. These include:
- Small growths can become more noticeable over time.
- Scars, burns, and keloids. Often, injuries in youth, such as a dog bite or puncture wound, go without treatment and heal into unattractive blemishes.
- Patients may want to remove tattoos as they age or change their lifestyle.
- Skin cancers or lesions that change over time
Our Hobart and Munster practice uses a variety of techniques to revise and reduce the appearance of these concerns.*
Dr. Frank’s Approach to Lumps and Bumps
The patients who visit us from Munster, Hobart, Crown Point, and Frankfort begin with an initial consultation. During this time, they discuss what they want to accomplish. Dr. Frank evaluates the concern, advises on a course of treatment, and offers details about what patients can expect. While some lesions may be covered by insurance, recent changes among many insurers, do not guarantee that a lesion will not be rejected as a “cosmetic” problem. His aim is to provide a transparent and informative experience so patients have confidence in their treatment.
Each case has its own requirements:
Moles. Patients interested in mole removal usually have a surgical excision. Typically, the result is smooth skin with a scar that fades into a faint line.*
Scars and burns. Dr. Frank removes the area of the old injury and recloses the site, leaving a fine linear scar that should fade over time.* Larger burns or scars may require skin grafts or other more involved surgical procedures.
Keloids. These are actually the result of abnormal wound healing. Dr. Frank may combine surgical removal with steroid injections at the site of the keloid. In some cases, radiation therapy may also be recommended. Because we don’t understand why keloids form, they remain a challenge for both patients and their doctors.
Tattoos. Laser treatment may be the popular option for tattoo removal, but it doesn’t always eliminate all traces. Dr. Frank assists patients by excising the area of skin, leaving behind a less noticeable scar.*
Dr. Frank usually performs these procedures for patients under local anesthetic or sedation. General anesthesia may be an option to help patients remain comfortable.
Recovery from Minor surgery
How patients heal from their procedure depends the type of lesion, its location, and the removal technique. Most of the patients we see from Hobart, Munster, Crown Point, and Frankfort are back in work within a day or so.*
Dr. Frank can also plan the procedure to accommodate a patient’s needs, staging separate surgeries to take out different portions of the scar or tattoo. This limits trauma and creates mini-recoveries instead of one lengthy downtime.*
Dr. Frank’s Advice on Recovery
We all have our own ideas of how long recovery should take. Unfortunately, this means many patients try to rush their recovery and go back to normal activities. This trend is especially true among young mothers who want to spend every moment with their children. They may attempt to play with or pick up their children before their bodies are ready to handle that strain.
Dr. Frank sees rushed recoveries in several ways, with one of the most common being pain. Patients who try to be too active too early in the recovery process often find themselves running through their pain medication too soon and have to ask for an early refill. Rather than increase the amount of medication you take, you will feel better sooner and end the period wherein you need the medication faster if you allow your body to rest. Do not force your body to undergo more physical strain than it is ready to handle. It is okay to take 30-minute breaks on the couch.
Another way Dr. Frank sees patients push themselves too hard is an increased risk of both swelling and dangerous hematomas.
For example, after liposuction, your body needs time to move fluid out of your skin. Patients who have had liposuction will have skin that feels firmer than untreated areas because of this fluid buildup. Getting that fluid out of your skin is one of your recovery goals during the weeks after surgery. But if you activate your muscles near the treated area, that activity draws fluid into the area, which increases swelling and often pain. In the case of a tummy tuck, too much activity early in your recovery can increase blood pressure, which then causes more oozing into the space created during surgery. While a little fluid is normal, it’s easy to overwhelm your body’s ability to absorb this fluid. A hematoma is the result.
To minimize these concerns, Dr. Frank encourages all patients to clear their schedules of everything except the most essential duties for the two weeks after surgery. You should minimize the amount of childcare, job responsibilities, meetings, social activities, and home chores in which you partake so your body can rest. You will feel better and recover faster if you plan ahead so that your body, not your calendar, determines when you are ready for your physical activities.
Patients in Munster, Hobart, Crown Point, and Frankfort can remove signs of lumps, bumps, and other aesthetic skin concerns. Contact Robert Frank, MD Plastic Surgery online or at (219) 513-2011.
*Individual results may vary