Skin Cancer Surgery

 Frederic E. Mohs developed Mohs Micrographic Surgery in 1938. This is a microscopically controlled surgery used to treat common types of skin cancer.

The surgery is done in-office at Desert Dermatology & Skin Cancer Specialists by a trained dermatologist. We remove tissue from the affected area and then examine it under a special microscope. When we do this, we are looking for cancer cells that may be present. This procedure is done while the patient waits. It allows us to quickly determine if more tissue removal is needed. Mohs Surgery enables our specialist to remove the affected skin cancer area while sparing healthy skin tissue. This is done with a narrow surgical margin and a high cure rate.

When used on primary basal cell carcinoma, the most common type of skin cancer, Mohs Micrographic Surgery has a very high cure rate of between 97% and 99.8%. Mohs is also used for squamous cell carcinoma, although it has a lower cure rate.

Mohs Surgery is an in-office procedure performed with a local anesthetic to numb the affected area. Mohs Micrographic Surgery is also used for the removal of cancers with more aggressive characteristics:

• rapidly growing
• present on a child
• high risk of return
• located in sensitive areas or areas where skin tissue should be preserved (nose, ears, face, and eyelids)
• increased risk of spreading to other parts of the body (common in some squamous cell carcinomas)

Mohs Micrographic Surgery can be a more cost-effective method for treating your cancer and is widely used for treating skin cancers in the face, hands, feet, and genitals, where tissue preservation is highly desired.

As with all surgeries, Mohs Micrographic Surgery may carry some risks, including bleeding, infection of the wound, scarring, and discomfort or pain