Mohs Micrographic Surgery, also known as MMS or simply Mohs, is a dermatologic surgery technique where cancerous skin is removed and checked layer by layer until all of the cancerous tissue is removed. A specifically trained Mohs Surgeon carefully maps out the area of cancerous tissue and will begin by removing a layer and checking the edges under a microscope. They will continue to remove layers until all remaining outer margins are clear of cancerous tissue when investigated under a microscope, which would indicate that they had successfully removed all of the harmful tissue from the body. Following the removal of the cancerous tissue, the surgeon then closes the skin. They can close using a series of flaps or using a graft of skin obtained from another area of the body. The patient is typically awake and locally anesthetized, and the surgery can be completed in as little as one day. Throughout the course of the treatment, the physician acts as pathologist – checking the skins cellular makeup layer by layer, cancer surgeon – detecting and removing the cancer, and reconstructive surgeon – putting the skin back together after removal of all harmful tissue.
