My Mohs Surgery

by Rachel
(Plymouth, MN, USA)

Four years ago I had Mohs treatment performed on a malignant Basil Cell Carcinoma located on my nose. I am extremely thankful that Mohs is a treatment option for skin cancer as it is less invasive than other options.


When discussing the options for treatment with my dermatologist, he immediately suggested Mohs due to the location (tip of my nose) of my cancer cell.


Mohs is less destructive to your body because they target the exact spot of the cell rather than taking out the tissue around it.


The doctor began the treatment by numbing my nose (ouch) and using a device that removes the tumor. Immediately after removal, the tumor is taken to a lab and tested to see if all the bad cells were removed.


In my case, because they weren’t, the doctor came back in and followed up with more removal, followed by more testing. This took place 3 times before the cancer was completely removed.


Luckily there was minimal damage done to the area, and although I did have to follow up and have plastic surgery to repair my nose, it was much better than the alternative, which would be to lose that half of my nose altogether.


On any other part of the body, plastic surgery would more than likely not be necessary as the procedure does not do too much damage to the area.


The dermatologist also told me that having MOHS was the best way to guarantee that the cancer would not reoccur, which is obviously very important when making the choice.


If you are unfortunate enough to be diagnosed with skin cancer, I would highly recommend looking into MOHS as a treatment option.