What To Know About Your Upcoming Mohs Surgery Experience
It can be devasting to find out that you have skin cancer. But you might not be aware of all the ways medical science has available to deal with that and other issues. When your skin cancer is a certain type and in more visible areas of your body, your dermatologist has a unique method of taking care of the problem that is efficient and leaves behind hardly any signs of the surgery. Read on to find out more about Mohs surgery.
What Is So Great About Mohs Surgery for Skin Cancer?
The benefits are many and the process is a lot less invasive than you might think.
Outpatient Surgery
There is no need to go to a hospital or surgery center for your Mohs surgery. This procedure can usually be performed in the office by your dermatologist. No general anesthesia is needed so that means less downtime for patients and less risk. A numbing injection is usually all that is needed to achieve comfort during the surgery.
The unique thing about Mohs is that it is performed in sections. A layer of the target area is removed and then tested for cancer. Then another tiny section is removed and tested. Once the skin removed shows no signs of cancer, your surgery is considered successful. That means only the bare minimum of tissue is removed and that preserves your skin along with assuring the successful removal of all affected skin. Since the surgery is done in sections, you can expect to spend several hours in the office. Much of the time is spent waiting on the results from the lab rather than anything else. Since you are not under general anesthesia, you might want to bring a book or a tablet to occupy yourself while you wait.
Immediate Results
You will find out about the success of the Mohs surgery right away since the procedure depends on quick feedback from the lab. Once all cancerous tissue is removed, you are free to go about your day with a bandaid covering your small wound.
Recovery
You may need some over-the-counter pain relievers to take care of any discomfort from the procedure afterward. Be sure to ask your dermatologist what to take and what to avoid. You may need to take some precautions afterward to avoid opening the wound so pay attention to the instructions about returning to your regular routine, going back to work, and lifting heavy objects.
To learn more about this amazing solution to a skin cancer lesion, speak to your dermatologist.