MOHS Surgery

What is MOHS Surgery?

MOHS surgery, or MOHS micrographic surgery is an effective way to treat skin cancer with minimal downtime and scarring. It’s an outpatient procedure that is done in a specially trained dermatologists office and has even been shown to effectively treat melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

After having MOHS surgery, your surgeon may recommend post-MOHS reconstructive surgery. This type of reconstructive plastic surgery can be performed immediately after any skin cancer lesions are removed. Many patients question who should perform reconstruction: their MOHS surgeon or a plastic surgeon. This is where Plastic Surgery Specialists comes in.

Your Annapolis MOHS Reconstruction Surgery Consultation

If you’re considering a post-MOHS reconstructive surgery or have been advised by your doctor, your next step should be a consultation with one of our board-certified plastic surgeons at our main office in Annapolis.

During the consultation in one of our comfortable exam rooms, the doctor will review your goals and your medical history to determine if you are a good candidate. The consultation typically includes a discussion of:

• Your goals: why do you want the surgery and what outcome are you hoping for?
• Your medical history and your lifestyle. You’ll talk about things like:
  • Are you taking any prescription or nonprescription drugs and/or herbal supplements?
  • Do you smoke?
  • Have you had any previous surgeries?
• Your particular options and outcomes. The doctor will examine your face, neck and surrounding areas.
• The procedure. You’ll have time to ask whatever you need. We recommend writing down your questions before the consultation, so you won’t forget anything important.

Understanding the MOHS Reconstruction Surgery

Your post-MOHS reconstructive surgery will be performed by one of our board-certified plastic surgeons in our fully accredited, state-of-the-art, ambulatory surgery center in Annapolis.

There is no one way for a surgeon to perform MOHS reconstructive surgery, since the locations, amounts, and types of tissues affected are different from person to person. If your procedure has been a simple excision, the closure of the wound is a relatively straightforward process. If, however, more complex MOHS surgery was required, there are a number of options to repair the resulting defect left behind after removal of the lesion.

Plastic Surgery Specialists perform primarily three variations of MOHS reconstructive surgery:

• Using stitches, the wound is closed (primary closure)
• Skin can be shifted from an adjacent area (skin flap) to cover the wound
• A skin graft from another part of the body can be used to cover the wound. The graft will come from an inconspicuous area such as the area behind the ear.

Regardless of the techniques used, our board-certified plastic surgeon will take care whenever possible to ensure that the resulting suture line is positioned to follow the natural contours of the patient’s face. This minimizes the appearance of scars.

The patient can be taken home immediately after their surgery, though first the surgeon or nurse gives them instructions on how to care for their surgical wound. It is normal that there’s some bruising and swelling around the area, but this goes away.

If your dermatologist has recommended a plastic surgeon or if you are considering a post-MOHS reconstructive surgery the next step is to speak to a board-certified plastic surgeon. Contact us to schedule a consultation with one of our surgeons, to get the information you need.