What Is Mohs Surgery?

Dermatology and Laser Center of Oklahoma specializes in Mohs surgery in Tulsa, OK, to help patients recover from skin cancer. Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer, and our dedicated providers offer Mohs surgery to remove cancer while preserving healthy skin. Read about three reasons to get Mohs surgery and contact Dr. Mary Christian-Reed today for an appointment or more information.

What Is Mohs Surgery?

Mohs surgery, or micrographic surgery, is a way to remove skin cells layer by layer to remove cancerous cells while preserving healthy skin layers. Our providers have advanced training in this technique developed by Dr. Frederic Mohs in the 1930's. Procedures can take a few hours and are divided into stages to remove all layers of a tumor carefully. Layers of skin cells are analyzed under a microscope as they are removed to ensure all cancerous cells have been eradicated.

Why Should I Get Mohs Surgery?

Mohs surgery has many benefits although it is not recommended in all cases. For example, melanomas are more aggressive and excisions are typically recommended for treatment. Reasons your skin doctor may recommend Mohs surgery include:

• High Cure Rate- Mohs surgery has a high cure rate and low recurrence rate for skin cancer- both in basal cell and squamous cell cancers, the most commonly diagnosed types.
• Delicate skin - The micrographic technique is often used when skin cancer is in a difficult location. In places where the skin is more delicate like eyelids, you can preserve as much healthy skin as possible for both functional and aesthetic reasons.
• Less scarring - Removing the cancerous skin cells and leaving healthy skin unharmed typically results in less visible scarring. Removing all the cancer cells will always be the priority, but using this technique and preserving more healthy skin often makes the scarring less obvious.

Get Mohs Surgery

Your providers at Dermatology and Laser Center of Oklahoma offer Mohs surgery to treat skin cancer and keep you and your skin healthy. Contact us for an appointment with Dr. Christian-Reed or to learn more about Mohs surgery in Tulsa, OK at (918) 494-0400.