Mohs micrographic surgery
- What is skin cancer?
- What are basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas?
- What about melanoma?
- How successful is the treatment of skin cancer?
- What is Mohs surgery?
- How do I prepare for the day of surgery?
- What happens the day of surgery?
- What can I expect after the surgery is complete?
- Will I develop more skin cancers?
- Patient questionnaire (PDF file) -
Please print, fill out, sign and bring with you to your surgery appointment.
Dr. Neil Swanson, Dr. Anna Bar
and Dr. Ken K. Lee
What happens the day of surgery?
Your appointment has purposely been scheduled early in the day. Upon your
arrival you should check in at the registration window in the Dermatology
Ambulatory Surgery Center on the fifth floor of the Center for Health & Healing.
When the surgical suite becomes available, our nurse will escort you to that area
of clinic. If you have
not had a consultation visit, we will go through the procedure with you,
examine the questionnaire you have filled out, and answer any questions
you have. A surgeon will also be available to answer questions. After preliminary preparation of the skin, you will be placed on the surgical table and the area around your skin cancer will be anesthetized (numbed) using a local anesthetic (a shot). This may be uncomfortable, but usually this is the only pain you will feel during the procedure. Once the area is numbed, a disco shaped piece of tissue will be removed and the bleeding controlled. The tissue will be carefully handled by the surgeon, diagrammed, and sent to the technician to be processed into microscopic slides. A pressure dressing will be over your surgical wound, and you will be free to wait in the waiting area. On the average, it takes an hour for the slides to be prepared and studied. During this time you may rest, read your book or magazine, or take a walk around the building. There is a restaurant and coffee bar located on the first floor.
Most Mohs surgery cases are completed in two or three stages. You will be re-anesthetized for each stage needed. Each stage involves the removal and microscopic examination of your skin for cancer. Therefore, the majority of cases are finished in one day. Once we are sure that we have totally removed your skin cancer, we will discuss our recommendations with you for dealing with your surgical wound. Often, the wound can be closed the same day.