Bay Area dermatologist describes Mohs surgery scar healing
Mohs micrographic surgery is a technique used to excise cancerous skin cells from the body or face. This particular method was developed back in the 50’s by a surgeon named Dr. Frederic Mohs who performed the technique in order to provide better cure rates and effective removal of all cancerous skin cells. This method is done under local anesthetics or oral sedation while patients are made comfortable during the surgery. This method goes deep into the skin to ensure the “roots” of the cancer are addressed, which greatly reduces the risk of redevelopment of cancer down the road. It also has one of the highest cure rates of skin cancer.
Another benefits of Mohs micrographic surgery is the ability to reduce surgery scars. The healing is done over the course of time after the area is stitched up following the procedure. Bay area patients who have had Mohs micrographic surgery will have minor scarring depending on how large the treatment area is. However, it causes much less scarring than traditional methods of excision used to areas of concern.
There are many methods available for patients who need to reconstruct the treatment area afterwards. If Mohs micrographic surgery is performed on places such as the face or other visible areas, patients will want to consider ways of dealing with the scars left behind. Some options available for reconstruction include:
- Granulation (local wound care and allowing natural healing)
- Grafting (harvesting skin from elsewhere on the body to cover scarring)
- Flat closure
- Tissue expansion
Dr. Christine Lee of The Skin and Laser Treatment Institute will discuss with her patients post-operative care such as caring for the wound and appropriate changing of the dressings. Once the area has healed, patients can discuss with their dermatologist the options available for reconstructing the area if they so desire.
Our practice encourages patients to be proactive about skin cancer by booking annual skin cancer screenings. This is the perfect time to catch problems early enough for appropriate intervention to keep the cancer from spreading and becoming larger and more problematic.
Dr. Min-Wei Christine Lee
Dr. Christine Lee is a Board-certified Dermatologist with sub-specialties in laser surgery, cosmetic surgery, Mohs Micrographic Surgery, facial plastic reconstruction, and dermatologic surgery. She leads The Skin And Laser Treatment Institute as its Director and serves as Clinical Faculty for the Department of Dermatologic Surgery at the University of California San Francisco. Patients travel from across the globe for her expertise, and Dr. Lee has trained thousands of stateside and international doctors.
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