Mohs Surgery
At Clarkston Dermatology, we understand that skin cancer can be frightening and you want to understand your diagnosis. To do that, you need a doctor you can trust. We believe that finding skin cancer treatment shouldn't be stressful; you have enough to deal with. Because you deserve expert care, we have a Mohs surgeon in-office. We offer Mohs surgery for patients in Clarkston and Troy, which has a very high cure rate and minimizes scarring and complications that can come from alternative treatments.We understand how uneasy you can feel about a skin cancer diagnosis. At Clarkston Dermatology, we have a fellowship-trained Mohs surgeon to provide the expert care you need to be confident about your health. We welcome patients in Clarkston and Troy, Michigan, to contact us to schedule an appointment, begin skin cancer treatment, and learn about our scar insurance program. In the meantime, read about “The ABCDE’s of Melanoma” to learn more about detecting skin cancer.
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.
We offer Mohs Surgery treatments to residents of the following areas: Clarkston, Oxford, Oxford Township, Birmingham, Troy, and all of Oakland County, MI (Michigan). Although our offices are are located in Clarkston and Oxford, Michigan, we regularly serve patients throughout the entirety of Oakland County who need a skin doctor for medical care related to Mohs Surgery.