Mohs surgery was developed by Dr. Frederic Mohs as a treatment for skin cancer in the late 1930s. Over the years, Mohs surgery has been embraced by surgeons as the single most effective technique for removing skin cancers.
In fact, studies show Mohs surgery has a 98 percent or higher success rate for treating basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas, the two most common types of skin cancers.
The goal of Mohs surgery is to remove as much of the skin cancer as possible while doing the least amount of damage to the surrounding healthy tissue. Unlike traditional surgery, which involves removing the visible cancer as well as the surrounding healthy tissue, Mohs surgeons inspect each layer of skin for cancer. This not only ensures that all traces of the skin cancer are removed but no healthy skin is removed unnecessarily.
Mohs surgery is performed on an outpatient basis. The procedure typically takes approximately four hours. Since it is hard to predict how deep the cancer cells go, we recommend our patients plan to be at the clinic the whole day, just to be safe.
After the procedure, we recommend scheduling regular follow-up visits with our dermatologist. As many as half of the individuals diagnosed with the most common types of skin cancers will develop another skin cancer within five years. Frequent exams will ensure anything that develops will be caught early.
Call South Valley Ear Nose & Throat at (801) 566-8304 for more information or to schedule an appointment.