Mohs Surgery in Ridgeland, MS

Cancer can be a scary word, but for people who are diagnosed with skin cancer, Mohs surgery at Mississippi Center for Plastic Surgery might be a wise remedy. Mohs surgery is a process that carefully and meticulously removes cancerous skin cells. The aim of the method is to remove as little of your healthy skin tissues as we can while still delivering a high success rate for skin cancer removal. The surgical procedure is used to address squamous and basal cell carcinomas, melanomas, and a few other, less common types of tumors. Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. David Steckler is highly trained in the Mohs method. He will begin this procedure by thoroughly removing the malignant tissue one layer at a time. After each and every layer, he will analyze the cellular makeup of the skin tissue to find out if any cancer is still present. Reach out to our Ridgeland, MS location now to schedule your Mohs procedure.

During Mohs surgery, Dr. Steckler will typically utilize local anesthetics to numb the affected area. A number of incisions will be made to correspond with the orientation of your skin that was removed. The excised layers are removed, processed, and then analyzed under the microscope. This process continues until a fresh layer with no residual cancer is reached. The number of layers eliminated and the length of the process is dependent on the stage of your cancer and how long it was present. The completion of the process will render a wound. Healing solutions range from simple sutures to close the wound into more complicated cosmetic operations for larger wounds. The Mohs surgery process is not a easy solution, but many patients report minimal pain. Mohs surgery is usually performed as an outpatient procedure, and you can resume regular non-strenuous tasks the following day. You should, however, avoid strenuous exercise or heavy activities for 1 – 2 weeks. Sutures will be removed between 6 – 14 days. Scarring will differ based upon the process. The success rate of eliminating the cancerous tissues from the site is very high when treating main basal cell carcinoma, with thin melanomas receiving up to a 99% cure rate. Primary squamous cell carcinoma has a slightly lower treatment rate at around 97%.

When confronting a skin cancer diagnosis, it is important to do thorough research and find an experienced Mohs surgeon who is an ideal match for your own expectations and needs. Success rates of this process are directly connected to a physician's skill and experience. At Mississippi Center for Plastic Surgery, board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. David Steckler is skilled in Mohs surgery and understands the delicacy of the procedure and the high emotions that can often be attached. His warm demeanor and effective skill make him a wonderful option for this surgery. To find out more about the experience, training, and success rates of Dr. Steckler, call our Ridgeland, MS office to schedule a one-on-one consultation.