Mohs surgery is a technique used to treat skin cancer with a very high cure rate. This surgery, performed by dermatologists who have undergone extensive training in the procedure, preserves as much healthy skin and tissue as possible by precisely removing only cancerous skin cells. Mohs surgery has a cure rate of up to 99 percent for skin cancer that has never been treated and up to 94 percent for skin cancer that has been treated previously.

The cost of Mohs surgery at Clarkston Dermatology depends on many factors including how long your procedure takes and your health insurance coverage. To find out your cost, please contact us to schedule a consultation with a board-certified dermatologist.

Mohs surgery is usually used to treat basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma that occurs in an area with little underlying tissue like the eyelid or nose, is large or aggressive, has been treated before but returned, or has hard-to-define borders. This technique can also be used to treat uncommon forms of skin cancer and, in some cases, early lentigo malignant melanoma, a type of melanoma that remains close to the skin's surface.Mohs surgery is performed in stages, typically under local anesthesia. The procedure begins by first cutting away visible cancer before carefully removing a very thin layer of surrounding skin. The removed tissue will be examined immediately under a microscope to check for cancer cells. If cancer cells are detected, another very thin layer of skin will be removed and checked again under the microscope.After the procedure is complete, your wound may be allowed to heal on its own or it may be closed with stitches. In some cases, a skin flap or a skin graft will be necessary. The wound will usually be allowed to heal on its own if it's in an area where a scar is acceptable or the wound is small. Stitches are usually used when normal healing isn't enough or when scarring should be kept to a minimum. Recovering from Mohs surgery can come with some discomfort, swelling, and bruising. Bruising and swelling can be managed with ice packs while the discomfort generally responds well to over-the-counter medication.