Should I have normal removal of basil cell on my chest or have mohs surgery?

Question

I have 1 basil cell spot on my chest, I want to know if I should just have my dermatologist remove it, or if should go to a mohs surgeon. I'm a 67 yr old male. I've had another spot on my face removed by a dermatologist years back, and when it came back I had to have it removed by Mohs, and was very satisfied with the results. My new dermatologist said that mohs is normally done on the face not on the body.

Larisa Ravitskiy, MD · Answer

Mohs surgery may be warranted for a basal cell carcinoma on chest, if it shows aggressive histology under microscope, is large than 2 cm (3/4"), or has been previously treated. Under these circumstances the insurance is likely to cover Mohs surgery. You may want to discuss this with your dermatologist and/or Mohs surgeon.

R. Stewart Collins, MD · Answer

Your dermatologist is correct.   Mohs surgery is normally performed on the face.  However, if you were very satisfied with the Mohs surgeon, your dermatologist can certainly refer you back to him or her.

F. Victor Rueckl, MD (in memoriam) · Answer

Mohs is usually reserved for sites that have little skin tissue to spare. Most areas of the body do not require this. There is a lot of give in the chest and a lot of tissue there, so there is rarely a call for Mohs. Mohs will almost never be covered by insurance when it's on the body unless the cancer is recurrent. So if you'd like to have Mohs, most likely you will need to pay cash as the insurance will deem it unnecessary. "This answer has been solicited without seeing this patient and cannot 
be held as true medical advice, but only opinion. Seek in-person 
treatment with a trained medical professional for appropriate care."

Should I have normal removal of basil cell on my chest or have mohs surgery?

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Should I have normal removal of basil cell on my chest or have mohs surgery?

Answers (3)

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Mohs Surgery

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.