Exposure to ultraviolet light, from the sun and indoor tanning devices, is the most preventable risk factor. Skin cancer is not necessarily life threatening or disfiguring. Effective skin cancer treatments are available, and in many cases, Mohs Micrographic Surgery is the treatment of choice. Mohs Surgery is a state-of-the-art skin cancer treatment that when performed by a fellowship-trained member of the American College of Mohs Surgery, offers the highest cure rate. The physician serves as surgeon, pathologist and reconstructive surgeon, and is able to use a microscope to see beyond the visible disease and to precisely identify and surgically remove the entire tumor, leaving healthy tissue intact and unharmed. This also ensures that the Mohs surgeon will be able to better repair the incision and minimize scarring. Mohs surgery is most commonly used for basal and squamous cell carcinomas. It should be the treatment of choice when the cancer is large; the edges of the cancer cannot be defined; the cancer is in an area where it is important to preserve healthy tissue for functional and cosmetic results, such as the face; the cancer is likely to recur; and in cases where prior treatment has failed; MiamiDermCenter.com.
