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.