ellipse

We removed a mole from the scalp of a sweet little boy today (it has a low potential to become cancerous). They incised an ellipse around the area to be removed. A circular wound doesn't work, because when you bring the edges together to sew into what will be his scar, there will be areas that don't meet and cause a bump. To render it smooth, you make an ellipse instead (three times as long as it is wide). And with your hand, you have to stretch all the surrounding skin under the scalp, to release the tension. Tension doesn't bode well for stitching the wound.

For all the pains of surgery, it's pushed me to stretch farther than I imagined. And at the least and most, I've had many experiences, which is what I came here for. I'm looking forward to processing and stitching them up, into a scar whose pain is past but whose presence is palpable.