Moh’s Surgery
- Posted on: Mar 30 2019
One of the most important things you’ll hear about skin health is avoiding the sun during the hottest part of the day. Avoiding the sun can help your skin stay more youthful-looking, and it can cut down on your chances of developing skin cancer. So, when you do find a spot that could be cancerous, it can be easy to start worrying.
But, before you let your worries take over, remember that there are different types of skin cancer, and many can be safely removed. Keep reading to learn about Moh’s procedure, and how it can be used to help remove cancerous spots from your skin.
Step 1
The roots of skin cancer can extend beyond the visible portion of the tumor, and it’s important to collect all of the cancerous tissue. If the roots aren’t fully removed, the cancer will come back. The procedure starts with your provider examining the visible lesion and determining what tissue to remove. Local anesthesia will be given before the surgery begins.
Step 2
We remove the visible portion of the tumor using surgical techniques.
Step 3
We then go in and remove a deeper layer of skin and split it up into sections. These sections are then color-coded with various dyes. We make reference marks on the skin to show the source of each section, so we know exactly what we’re looking at. A map of the surgical site is drawn up so we can track where each portion of tissue originated.
Step 4
In a lab, your provider will use a microscope to examine the undersurface and edges of each section of tissue, looking for any remaining cancer cells.
Step 5
If we find more cancer cells under the microscope, we mark their location on the map and return to the patient (who is still in the surgery room) to remove another layer of skin.
Step 6
This removal process is complete when there is no more evidence of cancer in the surgical site. Because Moh’s surgery removes only tissue containing cancer, it leaves the smallest scar possible, while also removing the least amount of healthy tissue.
If you’re interested in learning more about Moh’s surgery and how we can help with your skin cancer treatment, give us a call at (973) 509-2000 to schedule a consultation in New York or (214) 827-2873 for our Dallas office today.
