Mohs surgery in St. George, UT is offered by Riverside Medical Arts to treat patients with skin cancer. Riverside Medical Arts is a facility where Dr. Benjamin Carter offers high quality care to patients in St. George who are affected with the condition.
WHAT IS MOHS SURGERY?
Mohs surgery, also known as Mohs Microscopic Surgery (MMS), is a precise surgical procedure used for the treatment of skin cancer. This technique involves the gradual removal of skin cancer and progressively examining it until only cancer-free tissue remain in the body. The goal of the surgery is to remove the skin cancer while only causing minimal damage to surrounding healthy skin tissue.
This surgery is performed to treat the most common types of skin cancers — squamous and basal cell carcinoma. Particularly, the procedure is performed to treat skin cancers that:
- Are at high risk for recurrence or on a patient that already has a history of recurrence
- Are situated in areas of the skin wherein preservation of healthy tissue is vital, such as in the areas near the eyes, nose, ears, mouth, hands, feet, genitals, and the hairline
- Are large in size and develop in an aggressive manner
- Have irregular borders or borders that are hard to define
HOW DO I PREPARE FOR MOHS SURGERY?
During your initial consultation with Dr. Carter, you may be advised to stop taking certain medications, which may include blood thinners, Warfarin or aspirin, and certain dietary supplements. Some of these medications can interfere with the body’s blood clotting ability during surgery. Dr. Carter will provide you with specific instructions on how to prepare for the treatment.
WHAT HAPPENS DURING MOHS SURGERY?
During the procedure, local anesthesia will be used to numb the area of the skin that needs treatment. The procedure involves a very precise and detailed method in sequentially removing small layers of the skin and immediately examining the tissue under the microscope. Frozen sections of the skin are used and stained with special dyes to immediately examine the entire extent of the tumor. If, upon examination, cancer is still present, another skin layer is then removed and examined again. The procedure is done until no cancer cells are found in the tissue.
