Dermatology Associates of Northeast Georgia offers Mohs surgery for skin cancer at its Gainesville location. Our Mohs Surgeon, Daniel Rabb, MD, is Double Board-Certified. Dr. Rabb has been performing MOHS surgery since 2014 and has performed over eight thousand cases.
What is Mohs Surgery?
Mohs micrographic surgery is a specialized procedure for the microscopically controlled removal of skin cancers. Known as the single most effective technique for removing basal and squamous cell carcinomas, Mohs surgery has a cure rate of up to 99%. By microscopically examining the tissues removed during the surgery, it eliminates the need to estimate how much to cut and how deep the tumor’s roots go. Thus, Mohs surgery can remove all of the cancerous cells while sparing as much healthy tissue as possible. It is also ideal for highly visible skin cancer on the head and neck since it results in minimal scarring.
The layer-by-layer removal and identification process allows our Mohs Surgeon to effectively remove cancerous skin tissues. Mohs surgery is a form of treatment developed in the 1930s by Dr. Frederic Mohs. It combines the surgical removal of cancerous tissues with the immediate microscopic examination of the tumor and underlying roots.
What to Expect with Mohs Surgery
Mohs surgery is done under local anesthesia and rarely requires hospitalization, yet it is recommended that only a Mohs Surgeon with the highest standards of quality and competency perform the surgery. Mohs has a superior cure rate for skin cancer and is often performed after a prior treatment has failed. However, it is important to emphasize that no method at any time, including the Mohs treatment, can promise 100% cure rates.
Mohs surgery also cuts out the minimum necessary amount of normal skin needed for a high cure rate (95 to 99%), which is especially important in critical and sensitive areas. If a tumor returns, conventional treatments such as cutting out, scraping, burning, or radiation only offer approximately a 50% cure rate. Though it can be a time-consuming process, Mohs surgery is worth the effort in order to get all the cancer out while retaining as much healthy tissue as possible.
The process our Dermatology Associates of Northeast Georgia Mohs Surgeon uses during the procedure includes:
- Anesthesia: The area to be treated is first numbed with a local anesthetic to minimize pain during the procedure. Patients are awake during the procedure.
- Tumor removal: The surgeon removes the visible tumor with a scalpel. The tumor is then divided into sections, each is labeled with a specific number or letter.
- Mapping: The surgeon creates a map of the removed tissue, marking the location of each section with the corresponding number or letter. This allows the surgeon to track precisely where each piece of tissue came from.
- Tissue examination: Each tissue section is examined under a microscope to determine if it contains cancer cells. If cancer cells are found, the surgeon knows exactly where they are on the map.
- Additional tissue removal: If cancer cells are found in a section, the surgeon removes another layer of tissue from that specific area. The process is repeated until no more cancer cells are found in any of the sections.
- Wound closure: Once all the cancer cells have been removed, the surgeon may choose to close the wound using stitches or allow it to heal naturally. If the repair is more extensive, it may require a complicated procedure like a skin graft or flap.
The Mohs surgery removal process continues until there is no longer evidence that skin cancer remains. At this point, the Mohs Surgeon will close the wound with the least scarring and the best cosmetic results possible.
What Types of Skin Cancer Does Mohs Surgery Treat?
Basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinomas are the types of skin cancer most commonly treated with Mohs surgery. Skin cancers can, and often do, destroy the skin and structures where they grow and can be fatal if left untreated. However, skin cancers treated with Mohs surgery usually do not spread to other parts of the body and cause death.
Skin cancer will not go away on its own, and while it may seem to heal over time, if untreated, they will likely come back bigger and with deeper roots. While the removal of skin cancer is not an emergency, it should be removed within a month or two of diagnosis. Read more about skin cancer here.
Does My Insurance Pay for Mohs Surgery?
In most cases, your medical insurance will cover Mohs surgery. If paying for your Mohs surgery is a hardship, please let our Dermatology Associates of Northeast Georgia team know, and we will arrange for an alternative payment plan.
Additionally, if you are a Medicare enrollee, you should mention any special supplemental policies to our team when you visit one of our locations. It’s a good idea to bring all health insurance cards and policy numbers with you when you come in for your appointment.
Read more about Insurance information here.
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