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While you will see Mohs surgery as being one of the more popular skin cancer surgeries in use by dermatologists and fellowship-trained Mohs surgeons.
They don’t use it for all skin cancers, such as melanoma. Many of the reasons being the way a melanoma can spread and affect surrounding tissues. While to a patient, there may not appear to be too much difference, the results can be very different. In this case, it does require a wide local excision. Learn more about why surgeons find this surgery isn’t suitable for melanoma.
Pineville, NC surgeons, won’t use Mohs surgery to remove a melanoma
Some of the terms are different for this kind of surgery, as they are in the removal of the melanoma. Patients can here the terms of stage 0 melanoma, or they have melanoma in situ. In both these cases, there won’t be any need for patients to panic, as they both indicate melanoma hasn’t spread outside the local area. Pineville, NC skin cancer surgeons will deal with melanoma quicker than if they are dealing with Mohs surgery.
A procedure will be scheduled to stop any spread of the melanoma. Unlike in Mohs surgery, where a minimal amount of tissue outside the cancer zone is removed. With melanoma, the surgeon will remove healthy tissue up to the size of 1cm from around the location.
Once they finish removing the tumor, they stitch the area together. In most cases, there is a high rate of success, yet issues come with scarring because of tissue removal, and the patient may face a loss of function in comparison to Mohs surgery.
Melanoma removal and why Mohs surgery isn’t suitable
It doesn’t matter how popular a skin cancer surgery is, even if it has the success rate of Mohs surgery, there are distinct reasons it isn’t suitable for melanoma outside scarring. The main reason is that melanoma is a far more aggressive form of cancer, and even after removal, there are chances it can reoccur. Reasons for this being that the removed tissue may not catch all the cancer cells.
Besides this, melanoma cancer cells can be a lot harder for the surgeon to detect, hence the reason they remove so much tissue. If there is a reoccurrence, it can prove fatal for the patient if undetected.
Finding a Pineville, NC fellowship-trained surgeon
When looking for local skin cancer surgeons, you must make sure that they have all the right qualifications. They must have extensive achievements in all types of skin cancer treatments, not just in Mohs surgery.
Although traveling may be difficult in the current climate, you can still talk to your surgeon about melanoma or Mohs surgery in a teledermatology session. This may not offer the same face-to-face experience, but it is enough for the process to start.
Dr. Sasha Haberle of Metrolina Dermatology is a leading dermatologist from South Charlotte and is known as an expert in dermatology, including medicine, cosmetics, and surgical care. She is a Board-Certified dermatologist and Fellowship-trained Mohs surgeon. At Metrolina Dermatology, you can experience full service in the field of dermatology, including medical, cosmetic, and micrographic surgery of Mohs. All new patients are welcome, and the staff will advise you on the time and best treatment for melanoma or Mohs surgery.