Mohs Surgery is a minimally-invasive, outpatient procedure that offers the highest cure rate of any skin cancer treatment – up to a 99% cure rate for most skin cancers. It combines surgery with microscopic margin analysis resulting in a high cure rate while sparing healthy tissue.
It is preferred for skin cancers that:
As a board certified and fellowship trained Mohs surgeon, Dr. Alisa Funke of Cobb Dermatology & Aesthetics specializes in the advanced treatment of basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma, the two most common types of skin cancer. Her unwavering compassion for her patients helps ease the stress of an unexpected diagnosis while her extensive training and years of experience allows her to provide the highest level of care to her patients.
Mohs surgery is performed as an outpatient procedure with a local anesthetic. Dr. Funke will carefully examine the area and once you are numb and comfortable, she will remove the visible tumor along with a small rim of surrounding tissue. Our technician prepares the tissue in our on-site laboratory and puts it onto slides for Dr. Funke to examine under the microscope. If there is cancer still present at the margin of the removed tissue, she takes another layer of tissue from the area where cancer was still present and the process is repeated step-by-step until you are cancer free.
The precision of the Mohs surgery allows for a high cure rate while preserving as much healthy tissue as possible, minimizing the cosmetic impact of surgery. If the removal of cancer then requires reconstruction, Dr. Funke is usually able to perform the necessary repair the same day as Mohs surgery for optimal results.
Mohs surgery is the gold standard in skin cancer treatment for several reasons including:
Removing skin cancer in its early stages is key to preventing the spread of the disease. Please contact Cobb Dermatology & Aesthetics at 434-947-5321 for a skin cancer screening as soon as possible if you notice a suspect spot, mole, or lesion. If you are diagnosed with cancer following a skin biopsy, our dermatology team will work closely with Dr. Funke to coordinate the necessary treatments.