The Modified Mohs procedure is a method of removing skin cancers that our Nurse Practitioner, Laura, is able to complete in the office. She starts by excising what is seen with the naked eye. That specimen is then taken to Board Certified Pathologists just down the hall where they use a certain technique to verify if the skin cancer is completely excised or not. This method provides two key benefits: 1. Laura is able to excise the smallest area needed and 2. The entire skin cancer is removed that day.
We choose to perform a Modified Mohs procedure instead of the traditional Mohs procedure. This is because we believe that it’s important to let each individual do what they do best. Laura has a lot of experience with removing skin cancers, however, she did not go to school for pathology. Because of that, it makes the most sense in our office to bring in board certified pathologists to read the specimens and determine results. To keep recurrence rates down, the pathologists read each specimen twice.
These procedures are done in the office on Monday mornings. Some patients are in and out fairly quickly, while others take several hours to make sure the entire cancer has been removed. It all depends on what is found in pathology. We do have tvs in the room so patients can watch tv; they can also bring books or a friend to help pass the time. The Modified Mohs Procedure is completed by our Nurse Practitioner, however, Dr. Diederich is on site and available to assist in the case that reconstruction is necessary.
To learn more about the procedure, visit our website here. To schedule your annual skin check, fill out the form here or call 618-288-7855, option 3.
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