Mohs Surgery

You should trust your skin health and appearance to only the most highly trained specialists, especially if you’re seeking Mohs surgery for skin cancer. At our clinic in Springfield, Massachusetts, we offer the most advanced techniques for skin cancer treatment and reconstruction performed by the top dermatologic surgeons in the area.

What Is Mohs Surgery?

Mohs micrographic surgery is the preferred treatment available today for non-melanoma skin cancers. Mohs surgery eliminates cancerous lesions while sparing as much healthy tissue as possible. Cancerous cells are removed in stages, one tissue layer at a time, until all the cancer cells are gone.

Dr. Michael Loosemore and Dr. Michael Cunningham are the only fellowship-trained Mohs surgeons in Springfield, MA, or the surrounding area.

What To Expect During Mohs Surgery

Once the area has been numbed, the surgeon removes layers of skin one at a time and immediately examines each under a microscope. This process continues until all cancer cells are eliminated. With this approach, the dermatologist can remove cancerous lesions with minimal damage to surrounding, healthy skin.

On average, it takes 1 or 2 rounds (layers) to fully eliminate the cancer cells, but your circumstances may differ. Reconstruction, if needed, is typically performed at the time of the surgery.

Types of Skin Cancers Treated With Mohs Surgery

Mohs surgery is mainly used to treat basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), but it can also treat other types of skin cancers, such as melanoma. This treatment works best on skin cancers with a high risk of recurring after treatment and in areas where you want to preserve as much healthy tissue as possible.

Benefits of Mohs Surgery vs. Traditional Skin Cancer Excision

While Mohs surgery isn’t the best option for every instance of skin cancer, it offers numerous advantages over traditional excision, including:

• Better cosmetic outcome
• Highest cure rate
• Completed in one stage
• Lower risk of recurrence

When traditional excision is the only option, our surgeons are meticulous and highly skilled in both excision and reconstruction techniques.

What Options Do I Have for Surgical Reconstruction?

Our exceptional team specializes in advanced reconstruction techniques to preserve your appearance after skin cancer removal.

Linear repair – This is a common approach to repairing the skin after Mohs surgery. During linear repair, the skin around the wound is pulled together and secured by stitches.

Skin graft – A skin graft can be taken from any inconspicuous area of the body, placed over the wound, and sutured into place. The skin graft is typically similar in color and texture to the skin around the wound.

Skin flaps – During this treatment, adjacent tissue is pulled over the wound and sutured. This is not always a viable option as the patient may not have enough surrounding tissue around the surgical site.

Scar revision – If you’re unhappy with your scars, they can be treated only after your skin completely recovers from the procedure. Treatments such as dermabrasion and laser skin resurfacing can be used effectively for scar revision.

Who Is a Good Candidate for Mohs Surgery?

Mohs surgery is effective for many basal cell and squamous cell skin cancers and is especially desirable for patients who have:

• A recurrent skin cancer lesion
• A large or poorly defined lesion
• Lesions on cosmetically sensitive areas, such as the head, face, neck, hands, feet, and genitalia
• Lesions on areas with thin skin, such as the nose, eyelid, or lip