Mohs Surgery for Skin Cancer Removal

This page serves as an introduction to Mohs Micrographic Surgery and will help you prepare for your upcoming procedure with Dr. Daulat Micrographic Surgeon. Please take a few moments to read this information and share it with the person who will be assisting you before and after your procedure. In addition to providing details about what to expect from the time you arrive for your surgery through discharge, this page includes answers to the following frequently asked questions:

What is skin cancer and how is it treated?
What is Mohs Micrographic Surgery?
How do I prepare for my surgery?
What are the options for reconstruction once my cancer has been removed?
What does post-operative care involve?
What can be done to prevent future skin cancers?

Skin Cancer and Mohs Micrographic Surgery

What Is Skin Cancer?

Skin cancer is the growth of abnormal cells at an uncontrolled and unpredictable rate. As the cancer cells grow, they destroy the surrounding normal tissue. Although the cancer originates in the skin, if left untreated, it can invade and destroy structures such as fat, muscle, cartilage and bone.

The most common skin cancers we treat are basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Melanoma, the third most common skin cancer, is usually treated with a wide excision and not necessarily Mohs Surgery. A subtype of melanoma called lentigo maligna typically located on the head and neck may be treated with Mohs.

Basal cell and squamous cell cancer most commonly occur on sun exposed areas such as the face and head. They often begin as a small bump, which continues to enlarge, sometimes bleeds and often does not heal completely. The cancer can be flesh colored, red or a darker color than the surrounding skin.

Basal cell cancer rarely metastasizes (spreads beyond the site of original growth), but frequently grows larger and deeper, destroying the nearby tissue in its path.

Certain high-risk squamous cell cancers can spread from the skin to distant sites, such as lymph nodes and lungs, but this is uncommon.

Skin cancers originate in the upper-most layer of the skin. They can then grow downward, forming finger-like projections under the skin’s surface. At times, these “roots” are subtle and can be seen only with the help of a microscope. Therefore, what you see on your skin is sometimes only a small portion of the total tumor (like seeing only the tip of a large iceberg).

There are several different subtypes of basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. It is important to distinguish these types prior to treatment because different therapies may be required. For this reason, a biopsy is usually performed prior to treatment.

How Is Skin Cancer Treated?

There are many treatments for skin cancers including:

Excision (surgical removal and stitching)
Curettage (scraping with a sharp instrument)
Cryosurgery (freezing)
Radiation therapy (X-rays)
Topical creams

For some skin cancers, these treatments have a greater than 90% success rate. However, for more aggressive skin cancers, and for those in high risk, sensitive locations such as the face, head and neck area, Mohs Micrographic Surgery is utilized.

What Is Mohs Micrographic Surgery?

Mohs Micrographic Surgery, also called Mohs Surgery is a specialized technique where sequential horizontal layers of the skin cancer are removed. The success rate for Mohs Surgery in treating recurrent and/or aggressive cancers is 95% or better. Mohs Surgery requires a highly trained team of medical personnel, including a physician, nurse, and histotechnician. It is typically utilized for skin cancers that:

Are large and difficult to treat with other therapies
Are located in high-risk areas such as the nose, ear and lip or around the eye
Show an aggressive or infiltrative growth pattern when viewed under a microscope
Are recurrent

Mohs Micrographic Surgery was named in honor of Dr. Frederic Mohs, the physician who developed the basic technique over 50 years ago. Since Dr.

Mohs first described this surgical procedure, many technical improvements and refinements have contributed to making it a safe and highly effective means of treating skin malignancies. The main difference between Mohs Surgery and other methods of removing skin cancers is meticulous microscopic control with the surgeon also functioning as the pathologist, reading the slides.

How Does Mohs Surgery Work?

As the skin cancer is surgically removed, it is mapped by the Mohs surgeon so its exact location can be pinpointed.

Every layer of tissue removed is inspected under a microscope for evidence of cancer cells at both the periphery and deep margins.
If cancer cells are seen anywhere within the specimen, the Mohs surgeon continues to remove and examine sequential tissue layers, but only from that section of the wound that shared the cancer cells.
If any cancer cells remain, the surgeon is able to locate them based on the mapping technique.
Subsequent layers of tissue are removed and the procedure is repeated until the physician is satisfied that the entire base and sides are clear of cancer cells.

In addition to ensuring total removal of the cancer, this process preserves as much normal healthy skin and tissue as possible. However, even with this meticulous surgical technique, rare recurrences may occur.

Who Performs Mohs Surgery?

At Linda Woodson Dermatology, Mohs Micrographic Surgery is preformed by Dr. Jaldeep Daulat, D.O. Procedures are performed by a specialized dermatologic surgeon who serves as both surgeon and pathologist (a doctor who identifies disease by studying cells and tissues under a microscope). Mohs dermatologic surgeons have had subspecialty surgical training in this technique and have completed medical school, an internship and three years of dermatology residency. They are then accepted into a competitive fellowship where special instruction in the procedure is offered. The highly specialized nature of the procedure has traditionally limited the number of trained Mohs surgeons in this country.

What to Expect Pre- and Post-Operatively

How Do I Prepare for the Day of Surgery?

The best preparation for Mohs Surgery is a good night’s sleep. The morning of your

surgery, follow your normal routine. Bathe or shower, eat breakfast and take any

prescription medications. If you need to take any additional medications during the day,

please bring them with you. Since you may be at our surgical facility for a large portion

of the day, remember to bring a book, your laptop computer or other reading materials

with you. We will provide light snacks, coffee, or juice.

What Happens on the Day of My Surgery?

Mohs Surgery appointments are scheduled either early morning or early afternoon. (In

almost all cases, the surgery will be completed on an outpatient basis.) After your arrival and check-in at the reception area, one of our nurses or medical assistants will escort you to the surgical suite.

If you have not had a prior consultation visit, our nurse will go through the procedure

with you. This includes taking a health history, and answering any questions you may have. Please remember to bring a list of all your medications with you on the day of your surgery.

You will then be positioned on a comfortable surgical table and the area around your skin

cancer will be anesthetized (numbed) using a local anesthetic. You may experience slight

discomfort, but usually this is the only pain you will feel during the procedure.

After waiting approximately five to ten minutes for the anesthetic to work completely, a layer of tissue will be removed. This tissue will be carefully diagrammed, mapped and then sent to a specially trained technician to be frozen and processed into

microscopic slides. To expedite this step, the lab is located directly in our office.

Our nurse will then place a pressure dressing over your surgical wound and you will be free to return to the surgical waiting area or may remain in the room.
On average, it takes approximately one hour for the slides to be prepared and studied. During this time, you may sit in the waiting room, read a book or magazine and have something to eat or drink.

Our goal is to remove the cancer in the first layer or stage; however, our surgeon may

need to remove sequential layers of tissue. In doing so, we try not to remove any more normal skin than necessary. At the end of your Mohs Surgery, you will have a surgical wound. Once we are sure that you are skin cancer free, we will discuss our recommendations for repairing the surgical wound with you.

What Can I Expect After Surgery?

We encourage, but do not require, a family member or friend to accompany you on the

day of your surgery to provide companionship and to assist you in getting home.

Following Mohs Surgery, most people are concerned about pain, although the majority

of our patients experience only mild discomfort. In part, your level of discomfort will depend upon how large your wound is and where it is located.

Most patients do quite well taking acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin).
Prior to your discharge from our facility, one of our nurses or medical assistants will advise you on appropriate wound care and provide you with a detailed list of instructions.
In most instances, you will return to our office in one week for removal of the sutures/stitches and a post-operative check. We commonly see our patients one month after surgery to ensure that the healing process is proceeding well.
After the one-month check, most patients can be followed by their referring physician. We typically recommend follow-ups with your general dermatologist every six months.

Are There Possible Complications With Mohs Surgery?

With any surgical procedure, there is a chance of complications. Although every effort will be made to offer the best possible cosmetic result, you will be left with a scar. Proper wound care at home will help the healing process and minimize scarring. If necessary, reconstructive surgery following removal of your skin cancer can result in a more pleasing cosmetic outcome may include a referral to a cosmetic surgeon. Your insurance parameters will determine if this will be paid by your insurance or you will have an out of pocket expense.

Please keep in mind that it often takes months before final wound healing is complete and the best cosmetic result is obtained.
Although uncommon, bleeding after surgery is the most common potential post-operative complication. To minimize the chances of this occurring, patients are advised to be as minimally active after surgery as possible. This includes activity restrictions such as:
No bending or heavy lifting
No rigorous exercise or exertion
Not making important plans in the days immediately following your surgery
Infection is also a possibility following surgery, but it occurs only in one to two percent of patients. A small red area may develop surrounding your wound. This is normal and does not necessarily indicate infection. However, if this redness does not subside, and if the wound begins to drain pus or becomes swollen or very tender, you should notify us immediately.
Swelling and bruising are common following Mohs Surgery, particularly when surgery is performed around the eyes. This may be decreased by the use of an ice pack during the first 24 to 48 hours after surgery.
At times, the area surrounding your wound will be numb to the touch. This may persist for weeks or months, and in rare instances, can be permanent. This is due to trauma to the small nerve endings in the skin surface that occurs during removal of the tumor.
Finally, the skin cancer can recur. The cure rate with Mohs Surgery is greater than 95% but, unfortunately, not 100%. Occasionally, the cancer may reappear in the same location. More common are new skin cancers developing in other areas.

My Surgical Wound

Most patients are initially surprised that the size of their surgical wound is larger than they expected. The cancerous tumor is often well beyond its obvious external margins with nests of cells growing in unpredictable areas. Keep in mind that our major goal is to completely remove the skin cancer. After this

has been achieved, our next goal is to provide you with the best possible functional and cosmetic results. There are several options for repairing your surgical wound including:

Healing by granulation. This simply means letting the wound heal by itself. Experience has taught us that there are certain areas of the body where nature will heal a wound as nicely as a surgical procedure. There are also times when a wound will be left to heal knowing that if the resultant scar is unacceptable.
Closing the wound side-to-side with stitches. This involves sewing the skin edges together. This procedure speeds the healing and typically offers an excellent cosmetic result.
Skin faps. This involves movement of adjacent healthy tissue to cover a surgical site. When practical, faps are chosen because of the excellent cosmetic match of nearby skin.
Skin grafts. There are two types of skin grafts, which are used to cover a surgical site with skin from another area of the body:
A split thickness graft is a thin shave of skin usually taken from the thigh.
A full thickness graft provides a thicker cover to the layer of skin to achieve the desired results.
This skin is usually removed from around Mohs Micrographic Surgery, the ear, or collarbone and then stitched to and subsequent wound to cover the wound. The donor site is also reconstruction is usually covered sutured together to provide good healing.

How Can I Help Prevent Future Skin Cancers?

Statistically speaking, you have a higher chance of developing additional skin cancers

after having had one skin cancer. The most common association with skin cancer

is exposure to sunlight. This is why skin cancers most often develop on body parts

exposed to the sun, such as the face, head and neck.

Skin cancers also occur more frequently in fair skinned individuals and in people who

live in the sunbelt areas. The damage your skin has already received from the sun

cannot be reversed. However, there are precautions that can be taken to prevent

further skin cancers including:

Minimize outdoor activities during peak sunlight hours (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.).
When in the sun, wear a broad-brimmed hat and cover up with protective clothing as much as possible.
Use a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or greater on all exposed skin. Reapply every two hours; more frequently if swimming or perspiring.
Don’t be fooled by cloudy or overcast days; the sun’s damaging rays can still get through.
Beware of light-colored reflective surfaces, such as sand, snow and water, which magnify potential harm to the skin.
Avoid tanning booths and sunlamps.
Protect children from the sun—kids who suffer from sunburns at a young age are at risk of developing skin cancer later in life.
Finally, if you have a family history of skin cancer, you should be especially careful about sun exposure.
Also be sure to check your skin regularly for signs of skin cancer, such as any change in the size, shape or texture of an existing mole or blemish, the appearance of a new mole or a sore that doesn’t heal. Report any unusual findings to your doctor.