What causes yellow fluid discharge after the removal of basal cell carcinoma?
Patient: My father is 82 years old, 5'-8", 195 lbs.  He had a large area of basal cell carcinoma removed from his scalp 8-10 years ago.  The affected area was about 2 inches in diameter.  Recently we noticed a clear yellow discharge coming from the graft.  What could be causing this?  Is this something for us to be concerned about?  What steps do you recommend?  Note that he has Alzheimer's and has been complainign of itching recently. We believe he has likely been scratching the area of the graft.  Thanks in advance. Doctor: Hi,Thanks for writing in.It is possible that your father might have developed an infection in the graft area of scalp. If there is yellowish discharge then the possibility of pus needs to be considered and evaluated by doing a swab test. This is a simple test and a little of the yellow fluid is taken on a cotton swab and smeared on to the culture medium to observe for growth. This is incubated under laboratory conditions for 24 to 48 hours and should there be an infection then the organism will show growth in culture.After getting a result for any abnormal bacterial growth, it is advised to take the antibiotics against which is is sensitive. This will help treat the infection. The graft area might also require pathological testing to look for any recurrent tumor in the area. Please do not worry.