Mohs Surgery – An Effective Skin Cancer Treatment
Basil cell and squamous cell carcinoma are two of the most common skin cancers that dermatologists see if their practices on a daily basis. In most cases these cancers are the result of excessive exposure to sun, resulting in an uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the skin’s upper layers. Basal cell carcinoma is the most common kind of skin cancer, while squamous cell carcinoma is the 2nd most common form. There are a number of different surgical treatments available to treat basil cell and squamous cell carcinoma, however Mohs surgery has been found to be highly effective treatment, especially for those patients that have been diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma.
Symptoms of squamous cell carcinoma generally include, red scaly patches, open sores or elevated growths with a central depression. In Mohls surgery, which is a very detailed and highly detailed surgical procedure, the highly trained and experienced surgeon will remove very small layers of the skin and immediately examine them under a microscope. The process will continue until the surgeon is able to confirm that all of the cancer has been removed.
One of the benefits of the surgery is that only the skin at the cancer site is removed, lessening the chance of excessive scarring, because most of the skin is preserved. Most importantly, the surgery has a very high cure rate of 99% after 5 years, while the cure rate is 95% for recurring cancers! The procedure is virtually pain free, with only a local anesthetic being required. In addition, the procedure can be performed in a doctor’s office and not a hospital.
Posted on behalf of Dr. Jodi E. Ganz, Olansky Dermatology Associates
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