MOH’S on ear with skin graft

Had a behind-the-left-ear MOH's graft for SCC and it went well though it required very frequent petroleum reapplication and bandage changes. Dr. gave me petroleum jelly for application since he did not favor antibiotic application to wound because of possibility of allergic rection. Took quite awhile to be able to stop covering changes but no cartilage was involved and no stitches were needed. Used "gentle" shower/swimmer's cap head/ear covering so showering was no problem after a few days of healing.
Have had several SCC MOH's procedures on legs and scalp from being brought up in FL where daily/weekend beach outings were "traditional" 🙂

@marschwart thank you yes it does sound like a bit of long recovery. Great idea with shower cap.
He said no cartilage will be involved for me either.
Can I ask how the donor site recovery went?
Where is FL?
My guess is Florida? I’m in Australia. Raised in a fishing village. Were the ONLY thing to do as a young kid was go to beach or bush
48year old female

@beneah77
Florida is correct; raised in Tampa on the west coast. Beach was primarily Clearwater which was a weekly outing, especially in the summer.
Donor site was a small wound on the shoulder which healed quickly with minor care being required, a quick heal.
Not well informed re: BCC since any of mine were treated cryogenically and followed up on as necessary. Most of my sites were SCC and MOH's procedures were the game plan of choice.

I had an I-graft last spring on my outer lower leg, just above ankle. It was a lengthy process but with an I-graft, pig placenta is used rather than a graft from another area of the body. As a result, the remedy didn't require two surgical sites. The process wasn't without problems; I managed a staph infection and some other minor issues... and it took 4 months, going in weekly for debridement and a new placenta patch. But I can scarcely believe how great the area looks now, 10 months since initial treatment. Fortunately my insurance covered it all (Medicare, plus supplemental) and it is costly, but particularly for a high-visibility area like an ear, I wonder if this isn't a possibility for you. The placenta patch allows your own skin to eventually grow and come back. An ear is not chockfull of vessels, tissues, etc. but neither was the area where I received treatment. Just wondering if this is a possibility for your situation. Wishing you the very best of luck going forward.

@beneah77 The MOHS with skin graft is probably because there is not much tissue available after the excision, to draw the area together. When I had a MOHS near my collarbone for a large anodular BCC, I wish they would have done a skin graft. The excision area turned out to be larger than they originally thought, and the healing was difficult since skin was pulled fairly tightly across. It is now my own personal lightning strike looking scar!

That said, our friend recently had MOHS done on his outer ear and had no skin graft reconstruction. In his opinion, he didn't want it done, just the closure with stitches.
Ginger