Skin Cancer/Mohs Surgery
Skin Cancer
Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer. It occurs when there is DNA damage to skin cells which causes them to multiply quickly. This usually is the result of overexposure to ultraviolet light, tanning beds or sun lamps.
A change in your skin is the most common sign of skin cancer. This could be anything from a sore that doesn’t heal, a new growth, color change or even itchiness. It’s important that you check your skin regularly.
Skin Cancer Self Examination
How to Check Your Spots:
- Examine body front and back in mirror, then right and left sides, arms raised.
- Bend elbows, look carefully at forearms, back of upper arms, and palms.
- Finally, look at backs of legs and feet, spaces between toes, and soles.
- Examine back of neck and scalp with a hand mirror.
- Part hair for a closer look at your scalp.
- Check back and buttocks with a hand mirror.
If you find any spots on your skin that are different from others or are changing, itching, or bleeding, make an appointment to see us as soon as possible.
Mohs Micrographic Surgery
Mohs micrographic surgery is the most effective and advanced treatment for skin cancer today. It offers the highest potential for cure – even if the skin cancer has been previously treated by another method. Mohs surgery treats skin cancer through a highly specialized and precise technique that removes the cancer in stages, one tissue layer at a time.
Success Rate of Mohs Surgery
The Mohs procedure involves surgically removing skin cancer layer by layer and examining the tissue under a microscope until healthy, cancer-free tissue around the tumor is reached (called clear margins). Because Dr. Jaldeep Daulat is specially trained as a cancer surgeon, pathologist, and reconstructive surgeon, the Mohs surgery has the highest success rate of all treatments for skin cancer – up to 99%.
Advantages of Mohs Surgery
Mohs surgery is unique and so effective because of the way the removed tissue is microscopically examined, evaluating 100% of the surgical margins. The pathologic interpretation of the tissue margins is done on site by our Mohs surgeon, Dr. Daulat, who is specially trained in the reading of these slides and is best able to correlate any microscopic findings with the surgical site on the patient. Advantages of Mohs surgery include:
- Ensuring complete cancer removal during surgery, virtually eliminating the chance of the cancer growing back
- Minimizing the amount of healthy tissue lost
- Maximizing the functional and cosmetic oZutcome resulting from surgery
- Repairing the site of the cancer the same day the cancer is removed, in most cases
- Curing skin cancer when other methods have failed
Other skin cancer treatment methods blindly estimate the amount of tissue to treat, which can result in the unnecessary removal of healthy skin tissue and tumor re-growth if any cancer is missed.
Cost-Effectiveness of Mohs Surgery
Because of Mohs surgery’s high success rate, most patients require only a single surgery. This surgery usually includes the repair of the wound as well. Other methods might require additional surgeries and pathology readings in order to repair the wound and to treat the cancer if it is not completely removed. Each of these additional surgeries and pathology readings require separate fees, while a single Mohs surgery procedure includes all of these into one fee.
There are also human costs to be considered. Because Mohs surgery minimizes the amount of healthy tissue removed, it also reduces the impact to the surrounding area. The aesthetic outcome of the surgery is optimized. Furthermore, the psychological impact of being subjected to multiple procedures when cancer recurs can be significant. Because the process of Mohs surgery minimizes the risk of recurrence, it reduces and frequently eliminates the costs of larger, more serious surgeries for recurrent skin cancers.
Other tests might be used to eliminate other possible causes, including a culture of the skin lesion/skin lesion biopsy. Once we have established the root cause of the condition, our dermatologist will work with you to find the best possible treatment path.
Our team of providers is here to provide all the information you need about our services. You can also schedule an appointment with us, via this online form.
