I am scheduled with a Mohs dermatologist in Canada for my reoccurrent BCC on scalp. The lesion was excised in 12-2012-by plastic surgeon-2015-lesion came back same spot. If the closure of the wound is complex-does the dermatologist have as much expertise as the plastic surgeon?
August 18, 2015
Answer: Mohs surgeons specialize in cancer removal and repair A fellowship-trained Mohs surgeon's expertise is in the complete removal of skin cancer and the best possible cosmetic surgical repair of the wound. We treat these defects on the face, and in other delicate and sensitive areas, every day. We use local anesthesia and have this procedure down to a science. The Mohs technique has the highest cure rate for skin cancers, so the risk of recurrence is minimal.Plastic surgeons do have different training. They spend some time on these small wounds, but much of their training is in very large reconstructions of body parts off of the face, or in reconstructing bony and soft tissue problems under the skin. They do not have the same laboratory process to ensure removal of skin cancer that is used for Mohs, so they have to take larger margins and leave a larger wound and scar.
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August 18, 2015
Answer: Mohs surgeons specialize in cancer removal and repair A fellowship-trained Mohs surgeon's expertise is in the complete removal of skin cancer and the best possible cosmetic surgical repair of the wound. We treat these defects on the face, and in other delicate and sensitive areas, every day. We use local anesthesia and have this procedure down to a science. The Mohs technique has the highest cure rate for skin cancers, so the risk of recurrence is minimal.Plastic surgeons do have different training. They spend some time on these small wounds, but much of their training is in very large reconstructions of body parts off of the face, or in reconstructing bony and soft tissue problems under the skin. They do not have the same laboratory process to ensure removal of skin cancer that is used for Mohs, so they have to take larger margins and leave a larger wound and scar.
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August 18, 2015
Answer: Mohs and reconstructive surgery Hi. I think the most important thing to appreciate in your situation is that Mohs surgery is the best option to treat your skin cancer. It does not matter what the closure looks like if the cancer has not been removed with clear margins. With that said, in regards to closure of the wound, I close over 99% of my Mohs surgery defects (aka wounds). In fact my patient prefer I do their closures for efficiency and cost-effectiveness and they are highly satisfied with the cosmetic outcomes. The majority of closures involved techniques that your Mohs surgeon and Plastic surgeon would have similar training in. In the United States, the majority of skin cancer reconstructive surgery is done by Mohs surgeons/dermatologists.
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August 18, 2015
Answer: Mohs and reconstructive surgery Hi. I think the most important thing to appreciate in your situation is that Mohs surgery is the best option to treat your skin cancer. It does not matter what the closure looks like if the cancer has not been removed with clear margins. With that said, in regards to closure of the wound, I close over 99% of my Mohs surgery defects (aka wounds). In fact my patient prefer I do their closures for efficiency and cost-effectiveness and they are highly satisfied with the cosmetic outcomes. The majority of closures involved techniques that your Mohs surgeon and Plastic surgeon would have similar training in. In the United States, the majority of skin cancer reconstructive surgery is done by Mohs surgeons/dermatologists.
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