Skin Cancer & Mohs Surgery
Mohs surgery is a highly advanced treatment for skin cancer. Our surgeons have had extensive Fellowship Training beyond dermatology residency. Using the Mohs technique, the physician serves as oncologic surgeon, pathologist, and reconstructive surgeon. Skin cancer is the most common of all cancers. It affects more than two million Americans each year, and the numbers are on the rise. One in five Americans will develop skin cancer in the course of a lifetime. Skin cancer is the easiest cancer to cure, as long as it is diagnosed and treated early. If skin cancer is not treated early it can lead to disfigurement and even death.
Mohs Micrographic SurgeryOur skin experts offer the latest Mohs surgery techniques to provide the highest possible cure rates for skin cancer.
- Skin Cancer Treatment
Using a variety of techniques, our dermatologists diagnose and treat conditions of the skin, hair, nails, & veins.
What is Mohs Surgery?
Originally developed in the 1930s, Mohs micrographic surgery has been refined into the most advanced, precise, and effective treatment for an increasing variety of skin cancer types. With the Mohs technique, physicians can precisely identify and remove an entire tumor while leaving the surrounding healthy tissue intact and unharmed.
The Mohs surgery technique of skin cancer removal was developed to achieve definitive treatment of skin cancer with minimal damage to, and limited removal of, healthy skin. Unlike excisions—a standard dermatological procedure involving removal of the visible tumor along with a wide, arbitrary margin of normal skin—Mohs precisely excises only affected tissue, layer-by-layer, until the tumor is extracted in its entirety.
More About the Mohs Technique
In this procedure, the visible portion of the tumor is removed, then working outward from the affected area, a thin layer of skin is removed at a time. The tissue is immediately evaluated under a microscope to determine the extent of the cancer. Successive layers are removed only where necessary until no tumor is present. This complete, systematic microscopic search for the “roots” of the skin cancer, offers a 97% – 99% chance for complete removal of cancer without an excessive loss of normal tissue. As a result, Mohs Micrographic Surgery is very useful for large tumors, tumors with indistinct borders, tumors near vital functional or cosmetically important areas, and tumors for which other forms of therapy have failed. However, no surgeon or technique can guarantee a 100% chance of cure.
In a methodical process, Mohs surgeons use a complete microscopic examination of surgically removed tissue and detailed mapping techniques that allow him or her to track and remove all roots and extensions of the skin cancer.
Visit Dermatology Associates of Knoxville
Our team provides thoughtful, expert care for all your skin health needs. We are proud to offer the most advanced general, surgical, and cosmetic dermatologic services in the greater Knoxville area.