Mohs surgery is one of the most effective treatments for certain skin cancers. Its cure rate ranges between 98-99% depending on the cancer type, location, and size. It involves removing skin cancer while preserving the surrounding normal tissues. Many medical experts use Mohs surgery in Glan Allen, VA, to manage melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and basal cell carcinoma. The affected skin will be removed layer by layer until the entire cancer tissue is gone. To further your understanding of Mohs surgery, you should know some essential facts.
Only Affected Skin is removed
Mohs surgery is a proper procedure that involves the removal of only the affected layer of your skin, preserving other healthy tissues. Your doctor observes the skin under a microscope for the cancer cells and removes the thin layer of your skin. If the cells are still present, your doctor will repeat the process until all cancer cells are eliminated. This beats the idea of estimating how much skin is affected by the cell, which ends up removing extra tissues. With Mohs surgery, your doctor will only target the exact affected tissue, and the less the tissue removed, the less the scar meaning the natural part is left unchanged.
A Well-Established Surgery and Most Effective
Mohs surgery has come from the 1930s and has been researched and investigated for decades by medical experts. This has made the surgery one of the most effective skin cancer treatment options with a 98-99 % success rate. However, the surgery’s outcome depends also on your provider’s qualifications, and it is crucial to ensure that your doctor has additional training and expertise on performing Mohs surgery.
It Takes Time
You must be willing to be patient when considering Mohs surgery. While routine skin cancer surgery involves numbing the skin, cutting the tissues, and closing the wound, which can only take minutes, Mohs surgery is more complicated. Remember that your doctor has to take a small slice of your skin while investigating the presence of the cancer cells under a microscope. The process has to be repeated repeatedly until no more visible cancer cells. This repetitive nature can make the operation last several hours or up to the entire day.
Closure Techniques Vary
With Mohs surgery, different closure techniques can be employed after the operation. Your doctor will discuss the possible options after removing all cancerous cells. The location and the size of the wound matter in determining which closing technique is most suitable. Sometimes the wound could close on its own only with a bandage or might require some stitches. Also, sometimes skin grafting would be necessary to cover the damage.
Post-Surgery Instructions are Vital
Mohs surgery exposes you to several health risks like any other surgical procedure. But your care team ensures you are safe and helps you understand how you can avoid common complications like bleeding, nerve damage, and infection. Taking good care of the wound gives you the best chance to recover successfully with fewer complications and minimal scarring. You will get better results and an appealing appearance when you follow your doctor’s post-surgery instructions to the detail.
Mohs surgery can effectively manage your situation if you endure typical skin cancer. Reach out to the experts at Absolute Dermatology & Skin Cancer Center to understand if you are a good candidate for the treatment. The treatment will offer you about a 98-99% success rate to treat your cancer.