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Mohs Surgery

Mohs micrographic surgery is a precise surgical technique used to remove skin cancer layer by layer while preserving healthy tissue and ensuring complete cancer removal.

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What is it?

Mohs micrographic surgery, also known as Mohs surgery, is a specialized tissue-sparing technique used to treat skin cancer. It is the most advanced, precise, and effective treatment for most types of skin cancer. Mohs surgery is the only method of skin cancer removal in which 100% of the surgical margin is examined. It has a 98% cure rate for the treatment of basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, the two most common types of skin cancer. This technique allows the physician to precisely identify and remove the entire tumor while leaving surrounding healthy tissue intact, resulting in minimal scarring.

Other rare skin tumors that may be best treated with Mohs surgery include atypical fibroxanthoma (AFX), microcystic adnexal carcinoma (MAC), sebaceous carcinoma, dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP), and Merkel cell carcinoma.

Due to its high efficacy, Mohs surgery is primarily recommended for patients with non-melanoma skin cancer in certain locations. These locations include the head and neck, scalp, shins, hands and feet, and genitals

Mohs surgery at Metrolina Dermatology is led by board-certified and fellowship trained Mohs surgeon, Sasha Haberle, MD, who has undergone extensive fellowship training and have decades of experience. Additionally, she has consistently received the prestigious "Top Doc" award from Charlotte's Hour Magazine.

What to expect

The surgery takes anywhere from one to four hours and is an outpatient procedure performed right here in our Charlotte, North Carolina office.

During Mohs Micrographic surgery, Dr. Haberle will identify the cancer or biopsy scar, and an initial thin layer of tissue will be removed from around the area. The tissue is then processed in a lab, generating slides. We’ll examine the slides under the microscope and map out the position of any residual tumor, if any, to its corresponding location on the skin. If there is any residual tumor, the surgeon removes another layer of tissue from the area where the tumor was found, while leaving the healthy tissue intact.

This process is repeated until the cancer is completely removed. Once the cancer has been entirely excised, Dr. Haberle performs reconstructive surgery to repair the area and minimize scarring. This entire process is completed in one outpatient appointment. After the procedure, you will be given detailed instructions on how to care for the site at home.

MOHS SURGERY CAN HELP WITH THESE CONDITIONS:

The cancer has developed in areas where preserving cosmetic appearance and function is crucial, such as the face, neck, shins, hands/feet, and/or genitals; it has either been unsuccessfully treated, recurred after prior treatment, or is located in scar tissue, and is characterized by being large, having ill-defined borders, or appearing to grow rapidly.

Mohs surgery offers the highest cure rate among treatments for many types of skin cancer. For dermatologists with a special interest in skin cancer, there are specialized fellowships in Mohs surgery. Qualified applicants must undergo a highly competitive application and interview process. ACGME- (Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education) accredited and recognized Mohs fellowships require that a fellow log over 500 Mohs surgery cases and meet rigorous educational standards in pathology, surgery, and reconstruction. After completing a recognized fellowship, a Mohs surgeon is then eligible to apply for membership in the American College of Mohs Surgery (ACMS). The distinction is in the education, training, and experience.

Please reference our post-operative wound care instructions. We also have a detailed FAQ sheet about post-operative wound care.

Please reference our thorough FAQs and the pre-operative instructions.

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Mohs Surgery

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