Surgery
Before offering surgery to you, your surgeon will go through the benefits and risks of the operation before you sign the . The possible problems depend on the type of surgery you have. We are unable to list all the possible problems after surgery on this page.
There is a risk of problems or complications after any operation. Not everyone who has surgery has a problem or complication. Your doctors and nurses monitor you closely after the operation to check for problems. Most problems are minor but some can be serious. Treating them as soon as possible is important.
Your nurse will give you the phone numbers of who to contact if you have problems when you are at home.
You are at risk of getting an infection after an operation. This includes a wound, chest or urine infection. Symptoms can depend on where the infection is. Tell your doctor or nurse if you have any symptoms of infection.
These include:
a high temperature
shivering
feeling hot and cold
feeling generally unwell
cough
feeling sick
swelling or redness around your wound and your wound might feel hot
a strong smell or liquid oozing from your wound
loss of appetite
cloudy smelly pee (urine)
If you get an infection, your doctor gives you antibiotics to treat it.
Sometimes for an infection in your wound, you may need another operation. But this is rare.
Chest infections, including pneumonia, can be serious.
You can lower your risk by:
stopping smoking before your operation
getting up and moving as soon as possible after your operation
doing any breathing exercises your physiotherapist teaches you
If you get an infection, you have antibiotics to treat it.
Blood clots are also called a deep vein thrombosis or DVT. They are a possible complication of having surgery because you might not move about as much as usual. Clots can block the normal flow of blood through the veins. Let your doctor or nurse know if you have an area in your leg that is swollen, hot, red or sore.
There is a risk that a blood clot can become loose and travel through the bloodstream to the lungs. This causes a blockage called a pulmonary embolism. Symptoms include:
shortness of breath
chest pain
coughing up blood
feeling dizzy or lightheaded
To prevent clots it's important to do the leg exercises that your nurse or taught you. And to move around as much as possible. Your nurse might also give you an injection just under the skin to help lower the risk while you are in hospital. You might need to carry on having these injections for a few weeks, even after you go home. This depends on the type of operation you had.
Your nurse might teach you to do these injections yourself before you go home. They will make sure you are comfortable doing them. Or a district nurse might come to your home to do them.
It's important to continue wearing your anti embolism stockings if you have been told to by your doctor.
You might have some bruising and swelling around the area of your operation. This goes down over time as the wound heals. Contact your doctor or nurse if the swelling gets worse.
You might have a small amount of bleeding after surgery. If your wound continues to bleed or gets worse contact the department where you had surgery. Or go to your local Accident and Emergency (A&E) department.
Avoid strenuous exercise or activity after surgery to reduce the risk of bleeding. Your doctor or nurse will tell you how long for.
You'll have a scar. The size and shape of your scar will depend on how big the skin cancer was and if you needed a or flap.
Scars are quite noticeable and red to start with, but they get paler and less noticeable over time. Some scars can be quite thick and raised (keloid). Talk to your doctor about any worries you might have about your scar.
You may have some numbness, tingling and pain in the area. This is due to nerve injury and may get better with time. Talk to your doctor or specialist nurse if this is troubling you.
Having a to the middle or lower part of your face means that you won’t be able to feel anything until it has worn off. So you should avoid hot food and drink until the sensation has returned, as there is a risk of burns.
When you have had non melanoma skin cancer, you are more at risk of developing another skin cancer. It’s important to keep an eye on your skin and protect it when out in the sun.
Find out more about skin care after skin cancer
Get information on how to cope during and after non melanoma skin cancer treatment. Coping with a diagnosis can be difficult but there is help and support available.
Find out more about living with non melanoma skin cancer
Last reviewed: 07 Aug 2026
Next review due: 07 Aug 2029
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