Mohs Surgery for Skin Cancer: Why it Delivers the Best Results?

• Written by Jagriti Chakraborty

  Reviewed by Nidhi Goyal

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The diagnosis of skin cancer can feel crushing, right? It often brings concerns about treatment options, cosmetic outcomes, and the recovery process ahead. These concerns are natural, primarily when treatment affects visible areas such as the face, neck, and hands. That’s why selecting the right treatments is about more than removing cancer; it’s about restoring both health and self-assurance.  

Dermatologists often emphasise that not all skin cancer surgeries are the same. Known for its precision and 99% success rate for primary BCC and 94.4% for recurrent BCC, Mohs Surgery stands out. Its step-by-step approach targets cancer precisely, preserving surrounding healthy tissue and providing adequate care. This procedure is well-suited when appearance or function is a key concern. 

Ever wondered why dermatologists favour this method over others? Let’s dive in. 

What is Mohs Surgery and How Does it Work?

Mohs Surgery is a tissue-sparing procedure, named after Dr Fredric Mohs, for removing skin cancer, often performed on areas of the face that are too delicate or highly visible. In this method, the surgeon carefully removes the tumour layer by layer, with each layer examined microscopically until no cancer cells remain. 

Step-by-Step Procedure of Mohs Surgery 

The following steps ensure the highest success rates while preserving as much healthy skin as possible, making it particularly effective for basal and squamous cell carcinomas. 

• Numbing & Initial Removal: After numbing the site with a local anaesthetic, the tumour is meticulously removed along with a thin margin of surrounding tissue. 
• Mapping & Freezing: After removal, the surgeon maps the removed tissues, freezes them, cuts them into skinny layers, and uses special stains to detect cancer cells. 
• Microscopic Examination: The surgeon, trained in both surgery and pathology, examines the tissue under a microscope to detect any residual cancer cells at the borders.  
• Layer-by-Layer Removal: If cancer cells remain at the edges, a thin additional layer is removed from that area, and this is repeated until no cancer cells remain. 
• Completion: With no remaining cancer cells, the surgeon repairs the wound, ensuring complete tumour removal while maintaining as much healthy skin as possible for the maximum outcome. 

Do you know that Mohs surgery is the only method that simultaneously removes the tumour with real-time microscopic analysis in one procedure? 

Benefits of Mohs Surgery

In the past, skin cancer treatment often involved removing extensive tissue, which could alter the look of the treated area and leave scars. Modern Mohs surgery has addressed cosmetic concerns through its layer-by-layer approach, targeting only malignant cells while sparing normal tissues. Here’s a closer look at the key benefits of Mohs surgery and why it has become the preferred approach for many skin cancers. 

• Tissue Sparing: Unlike earlier procedures such as curettage and electrodesiccation, which often removed excess healthy tissue and sometimes left noticeable scars, Mohs surgery selectively targets cancerous tissue while preserving healthy tissue. 
• Minimal Scarring: Conventional skin cancer treatments, such as surgical excision or electrodesiccation, remove visible cancer and a fixed skin margin without real-time microscopic checks. In contrast, Maps surgery takes a layer-by-layer approach, sparing healthy skin and yielding better cosmetic results, especially in sensitive areas. 
• Immediate Results: Mohs surgery provides real-time edge examination, ensuring precise, minimally invasive treatment. Traditional excision depends on delayed pathology, often requires wider removal, and may lead to repeat surgeries in visible areas. 
• Low Recurrence: Mohs surgery has a significantly lower recurrence rate than traditional excision, because it analyses the entire tissue border in real time. It confirms that all cancer cells have been removed, while protecting adjacent healthy skin. Compared to standard surgery, which can have recurrence rates of 5-10%, Mohs surgery lowers the possibility of cancer to just 1-3%, making it the gold standard for high-risk skin cancers. 
• Outpatient & Quick Recovery: Earlier, skin cancer treatment often meant longer recovery times and larger wounds. Mohs surgery, typically performed as an outpatient procedure under local anaesthesia, addresses these challenges. The procedure promotes faster healing and minimal downtime, with patients often going home immediately and recovering more quickly than with traditional surgery. 
• Cost-Effective: Earlier, people often worried that Mohs surgery would be too expensive. But one must understand that Mohs surgery is an all-in-one approach that offers a high success rate and tissue-sparing precision. It reduces repeat surgeries and follow-ups, making it more economical over time than traditional methods. 

Do you know that persistent bumps or acne-like sores that don’t heal could be signs of skin cancer, such as BCC or SCC? Identifying skin cancer is vital, and Care OPD provides access to experienced dermatologists who can promptly evaluate any concerns, make accurate diagnoses, help determine the best treatment, support effective management and patient confidence.  

How Long Does Mohs Surgery Take to Heal?

Healing after Mohs surgery isn’t an overnight story, but recovery is often quicker than people imagine. While the cancer is removed in a single day, what most patients really want to know is how long the healing process takes before the skin fully recovers and returns to a more natural appearance. 

Healing timelines can vary, but knowing what to expect during healing can ease a lot of worry. Now that you understand how long Mohs surgery takes to heal, let’s look at dermatologist-approved recovery tips that help your skin recover at its best in the next section. Keep reading!

Mohs Surgery Recovery Tips 

Recovering after Mohs surgery is often straightforward, but proper aftercare significantly impacts healing, especially for sensitive skin conditions like atopic dermatitis. These dermatologist-approved tips can reduce irritation, support healing, and protect the skin. 

• Wound Care: Clean the wound daily with mild soap and water, then apply ointment. Keep it protected with a non-stick dressing to prevent infection and maintain moisture. Avoid baths, pools, or hot tubs until fully covered. 
• Pain & Swelling Management: Use cold compresses for short intervals to reduce swelling; use pain relievers as advised by the dermatologist; and keep the area elevated whenever possible to help reduce inflammation. 
• Activity Restrictions (Typically 1-2 Weeks): Take it easy during the initial recovery period by avoiding bending and strenuous exercise. Adjust your activities to the treatment area and stick to light movements, such as gentle walking, until healing progresses. 
• Sun Protection & Lifestyle: Protect the healing skin with high-SPF sunscreen once permitted, avoid irritants such as makeup or harsh products on the area, and avoid smoking, as it can slow healing and affect recovery. 
• When to Call Your Doctor: Contact your doctor if bleeding continues even after applying steady pressure for 20 minutes, or if symptoms such as fever, worsening pain, spreading redness, or any discharge from the wound occur. 
• Follow-Up: Keep all follow-up appointments to ensure stitches are removed promptly and to monitor your recovery. 

Also, find our guide, Top 8 Dermatologist-Approved Tips for Atopic Dermatitis and Eczema Relief 

Who Should Consider Mohs Surgery?

Mohs surgery is considered the sniper of skin procedures, precise, targeted, and ideal for delicate areas where every millimetre of healthy skin counts. 

• Cancer Location: Tumours in delicate areas like the face, ears, eyelids, nose, lips, hands, feet, or genitals. 
• High Recurrence Risk: Skin cancers that have recurred or returned after previous treatment. 
• Aggressive Tumours: Fast-growing, or aggressive cancers. 
• Poorly Defined Borders: Tumours with unclear edges that may extend beyond what is visible. 
• Tissue Preservation Needed: When preserving as much healthy tissue as possible is a priority. 
• Immunocompromised Patients: Individuals with compromised immunity, such as organ transplant recipients. 

Health Coverage for Complete Healing!

Caring for your family’s health is more than treating illness; it’s about precision in preparation and protection. With family health insurance, every member enjoys access to skilled healthcare, from regular wellness visits to specialised treatments, such as Mohs surgery for skin cancer. More than covering expenses, it offers peace of mind, allowing families to focus on recovery and prevention rather than financial worries. 

So, it’s high time to ensure accurate and complete coverage today for a healthy, stress-free tomorrow. 

Disclaimer: All plan features, benefits, coverage and claims underwriting are subject to policy terms and conditions. Kindly refer to the brochure, sales prospectus and policy documents carefully.