Surgical Services

Dr. Ditty performs surgery as an outpatient service in his office. Using a local anesthetic, Dr. Ditty can remove all of the following skin conditions:

• Moles
• Basal Cell Carcinoma
• Squamous Cell Carcinoma
• Malignant Carcinoma

Mohs Surgery: Specialized Treatment for Skin Cancer

The main difference between micrographic surgery and other methods of removing skin lesions is microscopic control. In Mohs surgery, multiple thin, horizontal layers of the cancer are removed. The surgical removal proceeds along a grid pattern, with each layer carefully identified and "mapped" by the dermatologist so that its exact location can be pinpointed on the wound.

Every layer of tissue is inspected under the microscope for evidence of cancer cells. As long as cancer cells are seen anywhere within the specimen, the dermatologist continues to remove and examine tissue layers from the section of the wound until none are present. Because each layer is examined microscopically, dermatologists can be reasonably certain that all the cancer has been eradicated and that no tumor nests are left behind. Cure rate after Mohs surgery is greater than 95 percent. In addition, only the cancerous tissue is removed, saving as much normal skin as possible. Mohs micrographic surgery is now universally recognized as a precise method for treating skin cancers. It is especially effective in cancers of the face and other cosmetically sensitive areas, because it can eliminate virtually all the cancer cells while causing minimal damage to the surrounding normal skin.

Mohs micrographic surgery is also ideal for the removal of recurrent skin cancers — tumors that reappear after treatment and can plague a patient repeatedly. While skin cancers are easily visible to the patient, individual cancer cells are microscopic and any cells left behind can cause the tumor to reappear.

A dermatologist is best trained to determine when this technique should be used rather than the other effective procedures also available for treating skin cancer.

Mohs micrographic surgery is commonly performed on an outpatient basis in our office. Surgery usually begins early in the morning and is finished the same day, unless the tumor is extensive.

Periodic visits to your dermatologist are recommended to check on your progress and spot any possible cancer recurrence as soon as possible. One of five patients with one skin cancer will develop another within five years, so follow-up is extremely important for early detection of any new lesions.