Mohs Surgery

What is Mohs surgery?

Mohs surgery is a procedure to remove cancerous skin cells with high precision. By opting for Mohs surgery over other types of excision, you can preserve the healthy skin around the cancerous lesion and leave treatment with minimal or no scarring. 

Minimal scarring is not the only benefit that Mohs surgery offers. The procedure has a remarkably high cure rate for some of the most common skin cancers, including skin cancer that is recurrent. 

The dermatologists at Foothill Dermatology Medical Center are highly qualified to perform the surgery safely and have performed the surgery thousands of times with success. They can also provide skin grafts or flaps to fill in any remaining scarring after the cancer removal. 

How does Mohs surgery work?

You’ll be awake for the extent of your time in the on-site surgery center for Mohs surgery. You can also bring a book or entertainment device, as you’ll probably be in the office for hours during the repetitive surgical process.

During Mohs surgery, your dermatologist removes a slim layer of cells directly from the cancerous lesion after injecting local anesthesia. They take that sample into the lab for examination while you wait wearing a bandage over the lesion. Their examination in the lab gives them information about which cells to remove next. 

Your dermatologist repeats this process over and over until there are no detectable cancerous cells in the removed skin sample. Then, they discuss stitches and wound treatment with you if you need either one. 

What does Mohs surgery treat?

Mohs surgery is particularly effective for squamous and basal cell carcinoma lesions that are aggressive, large, or have returned after a prior treatment. You can also opt for Mohs surgery for cancerous lesions in areas that don’t have much skin to spare, like your eyelids, ears, hands, or genitals. 

Rarely, Mohs surgery is recommended to treat early cases of melanoma. However, it primarily treats these two milder types:

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)

SCC originates in skin cells near the epidermis’s surface, which tend to be thin and flat. Usually, SCC appears in areas commonly exposed to the sun. 

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC)

BCC is similar to SCC in that it’s unlikely to spread and starts in the cells of the epidermis. Basal cells are in the lower part of the epidermis and eventually make their way to the surface to become squamous cells.

Mohs surgery can give you the best possible outcome for skin preservation after skin cancer. To set up a consultation with the experienced dermatologists at Foothill Dermatology Medical Center, call to schedule or book online today.