What is MOHS surgery?
Mohs technique is a special kind of surgery used to treat skin cancer. For it, the doctor uses a local anesthetic to numb the area. Then, he or she removes the cancer one layer of skin at a time. Each layer is checked under a microscope for cancer cells, and layers are removed until no more cancer is seen. This surgery is usually done for facial lesions in difficult areas, if the tumor is very large, or when cancer has come back. This technique gives the highest cure rate of all methods. Because only the minimum amount of tissue is removed, optimal cosmetic result can often be obtained. While small wounds may be allowed to heal naturally after surgery, plastic reconstruction is typically done at the same time as the Mohs surgery. Only a dermatologist who has had special training should do this type of surgery.
Mohs surgery is a technique of skin cancer treatment in which the cancer is surgically excised, and the specimen is processed immediately so that the surgeon can examine the tissue under the microscope. If the cancer has not been completely removed, then additional tissue is excised and reviewed again under the microscope. Once the skin cancer is totally removed, the wound is closed.
Microscopically controlled surgery to remove skin cancers in anatomically sensitive areas such as the face and ears, or in areas of high skin tension, such as the scalp, lower legs, hands, and feet. MOHS surgery allows us to remove the skin cancer while minimizing the size of the scar and/or to use flaps and grafts to close the defect created when the skin cancer is removed.
Mohs surgery is the most advanced technique in removing skin cancer. It is a technique that delivers the highest cure rate with the smallest amount of normal tissue removed. Therefore the resultant scars are smaller and the recurrence rate less than traditional treatments. In the early 1940’s Dr. Frederick Mohs, Professor of Surgery at the University of Wisconsin, developed a form of treatment for skin cancers he called chemosurgery. He combined the art of surgical excision with pathologic evaluation. The tumor and its “roots” can be tracked in one procedure. This is what gives it such a high cure rate. It is performed by a team of medical personnel which includes physicians, nurses and technicians. Dr. Babcock, heading the team, has had subspecialty training in Dermatologic Surgery and is recognized by the American College of Mohs Microscopic Surgery as a result of this extra training. She is highly skilled at locating and removing skin cancers using the Mohs technique. Additionally,
The term “Mohs” refers to Dr. Frederic Mohs, Professor of Surgery at the University of Wisconsin, who developed this surgical technique in the early 1940s. The technique has undergone many refinements and has come to be known as “Mohs surgery” in honor of Dr. Mohs. Dr. Mohs recognized that a skin cancer often resembles a “tip of the iceberg” with more tumor cells growing downward and outward into the skin, like the roots of a tree. These “roots” are not visible with the naked eye, but can be seen under a microscope. Mohs Micrographic Surgery is a highly specialized and precise treatment for skin cancer in which the cancer is removed in stages, one tissue layer at a time. It is an outpatient procedure. The removal technique is no different than other procedures; however it is distinguished by a specific technique of tissue examination that is unique to Mohs surgery. Although some plastic surgeons and other specialists check excision margins, pathologic examination of the tissue is not t
