Watch Mohs Surgery on Riverchase Dermatology Patient

Florida has the unenviable distinction of being the skin cancer capital of the United States. While the Sunshine State offers good weather and a desirable lifestyle, excessive sun exposure often leads to skin cancer.

The good news is that there are a variety of treatments for skin cancer and pre-cancerous lesions. Your provider will determine which modality is best.

Surgical removal of the cancerous tissue is often the best treatment. Mohs Micrographic Surgery is a more sophisticated surgical technique with the highest cure rate of all skin cancer treatment methods, about 99% for the most common types of skin cancer. Mohs Micrographic surgeons are Dermatologists who are specially trained in the technique, acting as both surgeon and pathologist.

Mohs (pronounced mose, rhymes with nose) is named after Dr. Frederic Mohs, who pioneered the technique in the 1940s.

Mohs Micrographic Surgery offers the highest cure rate because the technique ensures that all of the cancerous tissue is removed, while sparing as much healthy skin as possible.

Skin cancers can be deceptively small on the surface of the skin, much like an iceberg. To remove it completely requires microscopic examination at a cellular level. The Mohs surgeon maps out the cancerous area, excises small portions of tissue and immediately examines each one under a microscope. This process is repeated until no cancerous tissue is left. Typically, the surgeon then reconstructs the surgical wound by using a variety of repair techniques. The benefits are two-fold; high cure rate and better cosmetic results for the patient.

Mohs Surgery is conveniently performed under local anesthesia in an office setting. Both Dr. Andrew T. Jaffe and Dr. Andrew Kontos are Board Certified and Fellowship-Trained by the American College of Mohs Surgeons.

Dr. W.G. Eshbaugh is a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon who has extensive experience in Mohs closures, which means that he performs closures and reconstructions of surgical wounds after the Mohs procedure is complete.