Who Should Consider Mohs Surgery?

If you’ve been diagnosed with skin cancer in Lady Lake or Clermont, FL, Dr. David Allyn and the team at Aesthetic Dermatology offer Mohs surgery and other treatment techniques.

Mohs Surgery: What It Is and Who Should Consider It

Mohs surgery is a highly effective technique for treating skin cancer. It’s considered to be a very precise procedure in which one layer of a cancerous lesion is removed at a time until the cancer is all gone.

This outpatient procedure is utilized whenever possible, but it’s not the chosen method for every situation. Dr. Allyn and the team at Aesthetic Dermatology in Lady Lake and Clermont, FL share who may benefit from this type of skin cancer treatment technique below.

You Have Specific Types of Skin Cancer

While your dermatologist will ultimately decide which treatment is best for you, Mohs surgery is often used to treat:

• Melanoma
• Basal cell carcinoma
• Squamous cell carcinoma

Other types may also be treated through this procedure, but your dermatologist will recommend the best technique according to your needs.

The Cancer is in a Sensitive Area

When the skin cancer is in a sensitive place, the goal is to remove the cancerous tissue while leaving as much of the healthy tissue as possible. The Mohs procedure is beneficial in this aspect. Therefore, it’s often used for skin cancer on the face, head, neck, genitals, and toes.

When Other Techniques Have Failed

Some techniques do not provide the desired outcome, and the cancer may come back. In such cases, the Mohs procedure is typically used to ensure all cancerous tissue is removed.

The Cancer is Aggressive

If your dermatologist determines that the skin cancer has an aggressive growth pattern, they will likely recommend Mohs. This is because the procedure doesn’t just evaluate the cancerous tissue but also the area surrounding it. Therefore, the dermatologist can ensure that the cancer is fully removed.

The Patient is Elderly, Ill, or Sensitive

As Mohs requires only a local anesthetic, it is often the preferred method for elderly patients. Both the anesthetic and the less intensive procedure technique also make it beneficial for those with a suppressed immune system or who are otherwise sensitive to more invasive techniques.

Wondering if Mohs surgery is right for you? Visit Dr. Allyn and the team at Aesthetic Dermatology in Lady Lake and Clermont, FL for an evaluation. Call (352) 243-2544 to schedule an appointment today.