Skin surgery is an office procedure performed for both medically necessary and cosmetic indications to maintain the health, function and appearance of your skin. Skin surgery is used to remove skin cancers (such as Mohs micrographic surgery), moles, cysts, lipomas, and benign lesions such as skin tags and seborrhea keratoses. Office based skin surgery usually involves injection of local anesthesia prior to the procedure to assure patient comfort.
Mohs Surgery Effective for Skin Cancer Removal
The Mohs procedure is the most advanced and precise surgery for the removal of skin cancer. It allows our surgeons to remove cancerous tissue one layer at a time, microscopically examine it, and perform reconstructive surgery if needed, all within the same day. The precision available by this outpatient procedure not only minimizes the loss of healthy tissue, making it especially effective in cosmetically sensitive areas like the face, but also allows patients to have a short recovery period.
The Mohs surgeon removes the visible tumor along with a thin layer of surrounding tissue. An experienced technician prepares the tissue and places the tissue on slides, for the surgeon to examine it. If the surgeon finds evidence of cancer, another layer of tissue is taken and examined. These steps are repeated until all tissue samples are cancer free.
Even if your skin has been previously treated by another method, Mohs surgery allows Dr. Javid to:
- Remove cancerous tissue one layer at a time
- Microscopically examine the tissue
- Perform reconstructive surgery if needed
- Minimize the loss of healthy tissue through precision
Mohs surgery allows patients to have a short recovery period. Surgeries and closures can be done in one visit on the same day, allowing for immediate reconstruction of the wound. Mohs micrographic surgery is also ideal for the removal of recurrent skin cancers (tumors that reappear after treatment) and can plague a patient repeatedly.
While skin cancers are easily visible to the patient, individual cancer cells are microscopic and any cells left behind can cause the tumor to reappear. The tumor may spread beyond its obvious external margins, with nests of cells growing in unpredictable areas. With the Mohs technique, all tumor nests can be identified and removed with a high degree of accuracy, so that extremely high cure rates, as high as 95 percent, are possible even when the cancer is recurrent.
A dermatologist is best trained to determine when this technique should be used rather than the other effective procedures also available for treating skin cancer.
Coastal Valley Dermatology is committed to providing state-of-the-art medical and non-surgical rejuvenation treatments that allow our patients to feel youthful and confident. Schedule your consultation in person or via Telehealth video visit with Dr. Roya Javid at 831-293-8458.