What Should You Expect from Mohs Surgery

The MMS patient should expect the highest possible cure rate for their cancer of any treatment method offered anywhere in the world. Second, they should expect the sacrifice of the least amount of uninvolved tissue possible. This should translate into the patient receiving treatment of

The two biggest surprises expressed by most MMS patients are:

• Length of the operative day
• The size of the defects created

First, removal of one 'level' of tissue and the ensuing preparation and analysis of microscopic slides take approximately 60-75 minutes. If 2 to 3 levels are required this easily translates into 3 hours excluding the reconstruction. Second, as previously stated, MMS provides the Mohs surgeon with the ability to identify cancer cells and roots below intact normal appearing skin.

It is for this reason the Mohs resection of a cancer most often proceeds past where either the practitioner or the patient could anticipate when they examined the cancer pre-operatively with the naked eye. It is also for this precise reason that the MMS method provides the patient with the world's highest possible cure rate for the skin cancer.