How is Mohs Surgery performed?
How to Prepare for Mohs Surgery
What to Expect on the Day of Mohs Surgery
Our nurses will bring you to our surgical suite. Together, we will identify and confirm with you the location(s) of the tumor(s). We will then anesthetize the area with local anesthesia. We then perform the first stage of Mohs surgery which usually takes 20-30 minutes. You will then be bandaged and taken to the waiting room. It takes approximately 1-1.5 hours for the tissue to be processed and stained. After this we will repeat the Mohs surgery stages and tissue processing as necessary to clear the tumor. It usually takes most patients 2-3 stages to clear a tumor, with each stage taking approximately 1-1.5 hours. Occasionally, it can take 4-5 or more stages to clear the tumor. Sometimes, but rarely, we are not able to completely clear the tumor in one day and may ask you to come back the following day to continue the Mohs surgery procedure. After the Mohs surgery procedure is complete, we will discuss the reconstructive options with you. The reconstructive procedure may take an additional 1-3 hours to complete.
Once the surgery is complete, our nurses will give you written and verbal instructions on how to care for your wound. If prescriptions for antibiotics or pain medications are indicated, you will receive them at this time.
There may be other patients who are getting Mohs surgery the same day as you and some patients may be finished earlier or later than you. Every patient is unique and some patient's procedures and slides may take a longer or shorter time to process.