Maximum Removal Of Skin Cancer With Minimum Damage To Surrounding Healthy Tissue

By Author: Dr. Jonathan Ross Be
Total Articles: 9
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Mohs Surgery

Mohs surgery, also known as Mohs micrographic surgery, is a precise surgical technique for removing several types of skin cancers. During Mohs surgery, layers of cancer-containing skin are progressively removed and examined until only cancer-free tissue remains.

When performed by an experienced surgeon, Mohs surgery offers maximum removal of cancer with minimum damage to surrounding healthy tissue. Mohs surgery is usually done on an outpatient basis using a local anesthetic.

Mohs surgery is often cited as having the highest cure rate for the most common type of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma. It's also highly effective for recurrent basal cell carcinoma and offers the highest cure rate for these cancers, as well.

Why it's done

Mohs surgery is used to treat the most common skin cancers, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, as well as some kinds of melanoma and other more unusual skin cancers. Mohs surgery is especially useful for skin cancers that:

• Have a high risk of recurrence or that have recurred after previous treatment

...
... • Are located in areas where you want to preserve as much healthy tissue as possible, such as the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, hairline, hands, feet and genitals

• Have borders that are hard to define

• Are large or aggressive

What you can expect

Mohs surgery is done on an outpatient basis, usually at your surgeon's office. The tissue that has been removed it is then sent to a laboratory for immediate examination of tissue.

The procedure lasts about an hour. But since it can be difficult to tell how extensive a skin tumor's "roots" are just by looking at its surface, doctors often advise reserving additional time for the procedure.

You likely won't have to change into a surgical gown unless the location of the tumor requires it. To prepare you for surgery, your surgeon or a nurse cleanses the area to be operated on, outlines it with a special pen and injects the area with a local anesthetic. The injection may pinch or sting a bit at first, but numbness usually sets in quickly. If you're especially anxious, oral sedatives may be available.

During the procedure

Once the anesthetic has taken effect, your surgeon uses a scalpel to remove the visible portion of the cancer along with a thin, underlying layer of tissue that's slightly larger than the visible tumor. A temporary bandage is placed on your incision. This takes only a few minutes.

This tissue is then sent to the laboratory, where it's prepared for examination under a microscope. This portion of the procedure typically takes the longest amount of time.

If cancer remains, your surgeon notes its location on the Mohs map and uses the map as a guide to remove an additional layer of tissue from your skin, taking care to remove tissue that contains cancer while leaving as much healthy tissue as possible intact.

The steps outlined above are repeated until the last tissue sample removed is cancer-free. Local anesthetic can be re-administered as necessary.

After the procedure

After all of the cancer has been removed, you and your surgeon can decide on how to repair the wound. Depending on the extent of the operation, this might include:

• Letting the wound heal on its own

• Using stitches to close the wound

• Using a skin graft from another part of the body, such as behind the ear, to cover the wound

• Shifting skin from an adjacent area (skin flap) to cover the wound

Results

One of the advantages of Mohs surgery is that you know your results right away.

Your surgeon or referring doctor will want to monitor your recovery to make sure your wound is healing properly. After that, regular follow-up visits are important to catch any recurrence of cancer or new skin cancers as early as possible.

Mohs Skin Cancer Facial Surgery and Mohs Surgical Procedure Boca Raton , providing by Dr. R Berman in Boca Raton and all around South Florida.
http://www.drberman.com/
http://www.drberman.com/procedures/facial-skin-cancer-reconstruction