Our Physician – Karen Rebecca Suchin, M.D., is a member of the American College of Mohs Micrographic Surgery (ACMS). By choosing an ACMS surgeon, you can be assured that you will receive the highest standard of quality, competency and an optimal outcome.
What is Mohs Surgery?
Mohs is a precise surgical technique used to treat skin cancer by progressively removing thin layers of skin, which is examined under a microscope one at a time until all cancer tissue has been removed.
Done in stages with lab results obtained immediately on-site, rather than being sent to a lab for results that may only return days later.
Mohs is the “gold standard” for the treatment of keratinocyte cancers, basal cell and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.
How is Mohs Surgery performed?
The visible tumor and a small segment of surrounding skin are removed.
The tissue is examined under a microscope to see if any cancer cells remain at any of the edges.
If any cancer remains, additional skin continues to be removed and examined under the microscope.
The process continues until no more cancer cells are found.
How long does Mohs Surgery take?
While it is impossible to predict a timeframe for each Mohs surgery, the entire procedure usually lasts several hours. Because the surgeon is taking on the pathologist’s role, patients do not have to wait long periods before getting a pathology report. A consultation with our surgeon before the procedure will allow a clearer estimate of the timeframe needed.
Benefits of Mohs Surgery
High Success Rate
- Highest cure rate, and lowest recurrence rate of any skin cancer treatment (the cure rate is up to 99 percent.)
- Curing skin cancer when other methods have failed (The Mohs process examines 100 percent of the tissue margins under the microscope, whereas only 1 percent of the margins are examined microscopically in standard surgical excision
Efficient
- Mohs surgeons act as the the surgeon, pathologist and reconstructive surgeon. The procedure is efficient because the cancer removal, microscopic evaluation and, in most cases, wound reconstruction are all done in one visit.
Recovery
- Mohs surgery also conserves the greatest amount of healthy tissue, giving you the smallest scar possible (Other skin cancer treatment methods estimate the amount of tissue to treat, which may result in the unnecessary removal of healthy skin tissue).
- Because the procedure in an outpatient setting with the use of local anesthesia, recovery generally involves resting and basic wound care.
- Some patients may experience mild discomfort, bleeding, redness, or inflammation.
FAQ’s About Mohs Surgery
Does Mohs surgery leave a scar?