Mohs Micrographic Surgery

What is Mohs Surgery?

Mohs surgery is an advanced surgical technique that precisely removes all forms of skin cancer while preserving healthy surrounding tissue. The procedure gets its name from its inventor, Frederic Mohs.

How does Mohs surgery compare to other skin cancer surgery?

The main difference between Mohs surgery and other skin cancer surgeries is that Mohs surgery spares as much healthy tissue as possible.

During other skin cancer surgeries, your team will:

1. Estimate how much surrounding tissue to remove in addition to the tumor, so they can be sure the tumor is completely removed.
2. Removes the entire area at once.  

During Mohs surgery, your team will:

1. Remove the visible part of the tumor, which includes a much smaller area of surrounding tissue.
2. Examine the tissue for cancer before deciding whether to remove additional tissue.
3. Continue the process in stages until they have removed all cancerous cells.

Learn more about what to expect during Mohs surgery and preparing for Mohs surgery.

Advantages of Mohs skin cancer surgery

The Mohs technique allows us to:

• Remove all cancerous cells, including those that may go deeper like a tree's roots and would otherwise be hard to see
• Spare as much healthy tissue as possible

Other benefits include:

• A high cure rate
• Minimal scarring
• A procedure that can be completed in an outpatient office in less than a day
• A pain-free procedure that uses local rather than general anesthesia. This leads to a shorter recovery time at the office (because you are not put completely to sleep) and less risk, especially for younger and older patients

Am I a candidate for Mohs surgery?

Treatment at our Mohs clinic is a good option for many patients. It is especially useful in cases where the skin cancer:

• Is in areas where it is important to preserve healthy tissue for functional and cosmetic reasons, like in the face, scalp, hands, feet or genitalia
• Is large, aggressive or growing rapidly or uncontrollably
• Has recurred (was previously treated and came back)
• Has edges or borders that aren’t easily defined
• Is located in scar tissue

Not every skin cancer patient is a candidate for Mohs micrographic surgery. You may require a more traditional surgery. We will discuss the options with you and choose the approach that offers you the most optimal outcome. Learn about conditions we treat using Mohs surgery.