Mohs Micrographic Surgery

Mohs Micrographic Surgery removes skin affected by skin cancer while protecting as much normal tissue as possible. Named after Frederic E. Mohs, MD, who developed it, this technique is useful for large or aggressive tumors with indistinct borders, near vital functional or cosmetic structures and for tumors where other therapies have failed.

This technique is time consuming, but the accuracy and chance for complete removal of skin cancer is very good. Although no surgeon or technique can guarantee a 100% chance of cure, this surgical technique offers a 97%-99% chance for the complete removal of skin cancers.

After the surgeon removes the visible portion of the tumor, two steps follow. First the physician removes the skin at the base of the defect created when the tumor was removed. Next, the clinician examines this tissue under a microscope. If any tumor is seen during the microscopic examination, clinicians establish its location and remove a thin layer of additional tissue. The entire process is repeated until no tumor is seen on the microscopic examination.