Ask About Our Skin Cancer Center at Dermatology Associates of Atlanta
Mohs surgery is a surgical procedure used to treat people with skin cancer . The procedure involves carefully removing thin layers of skin, and closely examining each layer for signs of cancer. This process is repeated until no signs of cancer are detected. Mohs surgery is effective for successfully removing skin that is affected by skin cancer without damaging any of the healthy skin around it. It has a very high success rate. This is why Mohs surgery can be an effective skin cancer removal technique for areas with very little tissue such as the ears, lips, cheeks, nose, chest, and hands–just to name a few.
How Mohs Surgery Works:
Mohs skin cancer surgery is a complex procedure that is typically performed by a board-certified dermatologist who is specially trained in performing it. Mohs surgery is performed in a sequence of steps. We begin by numbing the area around the cancer cells that will be removed. Once numb, the visible raised area of the tumor or legion will then be removed and examined under a microscope to see if there are any remaining traces of cancer from the sample. If so, the process is repeated until the skin sample removed shows no signs of cancer.
Good Candidates for Mohs Surgery:
Here at Dermatology Associates of Atlanta, our board-certified dermatologists are specially trained to perform this procedure and we have performed over 10,000 Mohs surgeries. It is most commonly used to treat skin cancers like basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas. In some cases it can also be used to treat melanomas, but this is less common. Good candidates for Mohs surgery include patients with skin cancers that:
- Have a higher risk of coming back after initial treatment
- Occur in delicate areas like the face, hands, and feet where there is a priority on preserving as much original tissue as possible
- Have edges that are difficult to define
- Are large or seem to grow quickly
For more information on Mohs surgery or our other skin cancer treatment options, please contact Dermatology Associates of Atlanta today.
