If you are one of the many people who will receive a skin cancer diagnosis this year alone, your thoughts may focus on the treatment process. People often wonder if skin cancer removal will require a major procedure or a large scar. With Mohs surgery, your dermatologist can minimize the effects on healthy skin, so you achieve complete removal of your basal cell or squamous cell cancer with the best aesthetic outcome and highest cure rate possible.
*Individual Results May Vary*
What is Mohs Surgery?
Because skin cancer often occurs on cosmetically sensitive areas with minimal extra skin, such as the face, hands, and shins, dermatologic surgeons use a specialized procedure called Mohs surgery. During this procedure, your surgeon removes the skin cancer and a small margin of skin around it. They examine these margins under a microscope, and if cancer cells are still present, they will continue to remove small amounts of skin until they are completely gone.
Mohs surgery allows your surgeon to focus on removing all the cancer cells while preserving as much healthy skin as possible. As a result, the scar is usually much smaller with less distortion of surrounding tissues, than other surgical procedures that remove the skin cancer and a large amount of surrounding skin.
What to Expect After Mohs Surgery
One advantage of Mohs surgery is that your surgeon customizes the procedure to remove the minimum amount of healthy skin. Some skin cancers may be removed with a small amount of tissue removal. The surgeon examines frozen sections of the tissue removed. Only in the cases with visible cancer at the periphery of this first pass of tissue removal is more of a margin removed and only where the cancerous cells persist. Each patient’s cancer is eradicated with the minimum of healthy normal tissue removed. The defect is then closed with the utmost skill utilizing advanced techniques such as flaps and grafts when necessary to achieve the best results. Each patient’s surgery and results are unique.
Recovery
Your surgeon will give you specific instructions on how to care for the surgical area while it heals, including how to keep the incision clean and signs to watch out for, such as redness or swelling. Limitations on your activities will depend on the size and location of the procedure since you will need to avoid putting excessive stress on the area.
Many people can return to work within a day or two of their Mohs surgery, although you should expect the procedure itself to take several hours. Incisions usually heal quickly and without issue, however bruising and swelling can be significant in delicate facial areas.
Results
Because it removes any trace of cancer cells, Mohs surgery is usually considered a definitive treatment with a 99% cure rate. The scar from your incision will initially look red but over time, will fade to pink and then closer to your natural skin tone. The size, visibility and recuperation depend on how much tissue was removed, location and other factors such as age and associated medical conditions.
Am I a Good Candidate for Mohs Surgery?
Your Krauss Dermatology surgeon will examine you and take your medical history to determine whether Mohs surgery is right for you. Not all skin cancers can be treated with this procedure as there are insurance guidelines that must be followed. Good candidates have localized skin cancer that can be completely removed in areas that your insurance will approve. Your surgeon will recommend the best plan to ensure your skin cancer is truly gone.
Take the Next Step
If you have further questions about Mohs Surgery, we encourage you to schedule a consultation at Krauss Dermatology. Call us at (781) 247-5593 or fill out our online contact form. We look forward to taking care of you.