The soft cancerous tissue spoons right out. The doctor knows when to stop because normal skin is firm or hard compared to the cancer. Skin cancers are much larger than they appear on the surface of the skin. What one sees on the skin surface is only the tip of the iceberg. It is not uncommon for the hole remaining after skin cancer removal to be the size of a nickel.
Some patients have a hole the size of a quarter or larger after the skin cancer is removed.
After the Cancer is Removed, a Large Hole Remains. The tissue removed will than be sent to a pathologist. The pathologist will look at the edges to make sure the cancer is all out. If the pathologist finds cancer at the edges of the removed skin, the doctor will have to go back one week later and remove more tissue. The chances of needing a second surgery to remove all of the cancer is 1 in 20.