Eight Years After Mohs Skin Cancer Surgery

by Will T
(San Diego, CA, USA)

It seemed I had a pimple on my ear that refused to heal. Every morning in the shower, It would bleed just a little.

Finally, I reluctantly went to my regular doctor. He prescribed a steroid cream, which I dutifully applied for ten days.

The "pimple" stopped bleeding for about a month, then started up again. I then did what I should have done in the first place and saw a dermatologist, who took a tiny biopsy and sent it off.

I suppose I wasn't terribly surprised to find that it was a basal cell carcinoma. The least dangerous form of skin cancer, but skin cancer nonetheless.

The dermatologist recommended me to one of only two Doctors in my town who were MOHS certified.

The lesion was on the inside of my outer ear, if that makes any sense, and Mohs Skin Cancer Surgery was recommended to make sure the entire lesion was removed with the least amount of healthy tissue affected.

I for one found the procedure to be incredibly easy, if a bit time consuming. But that was really the beauty of it. With MOHS skin cancer surgery, a little at a time is taken, you are sent to a waiting room, which in my case had great snacks, while the sample is immediately reviewed in the adjacent lab.

The MOHS doc is also able to reconstruct the affected area immediately. I was amazed at what was accomplished in one session, with local anesthetic.

In all, I went to the waiting room twice. The third swipe at it was the charm, as the third sample showed all margins clear.

The area is cancer-free to this day, and considering the large chunk of tissue that had to be taken, the faint scar is never noticed unless I point it out.

I would highly recommend MOHS skin cancer surgery. Oh, and I would also recommend sunscreen... (That's a reminder to myself, of course).