Mohs surgery is ideal if skin cancer is discovered in an area that is important to you cosmetically, such as on your face. This type of skin treatment surgery works well for basal and squamous cell carcinomas, leaving little scarring. Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) has become the treatment of choice for high-risk nonmelanoma skin cancers. It is becoming more popular in the treatment of melanoma. This method of skin cancer treatment has the highest cure rate and saves the most normal tissue.
Mohs surgery specialists advise patients with common skin cancers such as basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) to undergo this procedure (SCC). It is also used to treat certain types of melanoma and other more unusual skin conditions.
The surgery for skin cancer is especially useful for patients with tumors that:
- Have a high risk of recurrence
- Are large or aggressive
- Located in areas with little tissue beneath, such as eyes, nose, mouth, ears, scalp, hands, feet, and genitals)
- Don’t have clearly defined borders.