According to Dr. Nguyen Minh Phuong - External Department of Ho Chi Minh City Dermatology Hospital, the rate of skin cancer is increasing, especially in the elderly. Surgery is still a priority choice due to its quick effectiveness, especially for non-melanoma tumors.
However, for elderly patients, care before, during and after surgery needs special attention. Skin surgery in the elderly requires careful preparation and comprehensive care to achieve the best results.
Before surgery, the doctor needs to assess the damage (decent or malicious), severity of the weakness and co-morbidities to decide on the appropriate treatment method. Risk factors such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes (dibetes) need to be carefully considered. Patients using anticoagulants need to be tested to avoid the risk of bleeding.
During surgery, it is necessary to assess possible complications, detect and handle them promptly to achieve optimal surgical results, limiting sequelae for patients afterwards.
After surgery, controlling anxiety and pain is important. sedatives and non-medicinal measures such as music and scent can effectively reduce anxiety. In addition, wound care needs to be clearly guided, using a bandage and closely monitored to avoid complications such as falls.
