Mohs Surgery Scar Pictures
The doctor liked how the scar was looking so he put something called a steri strip on it. They glued it to my skin and it would fall off on its own in 1-3 weeks. When it fell off, I was to go back to the dressings again.
I did everything I could to make sure that steri strip stayed on so I didnt have to put that awful tape back on.
It stayed on until my follow-up appointment about 3 weeks later. They removed it and were very pleased with the progress. They told me I didnt need to use dressings any more which was a dream come true. I was okayed to exercise. Eff that.
I am so grateful for my family for taking such good care of me. My husband was a trooper and was so strong. He comforted me, he let me sulk, he handled the boys. I really couldnt have done it without him.
A very dear friend, Kayla, was a rock for me. She let me cry, she always knew what to say and she would just send me texts letting me know she was there for me.
But I also thank those people who would have been there for me had they known. I know there are many more people who would have dropped everything to help me if I had given them the chance.
My head was just so jumbled. I was in a pretty dark place for those couple of weeks.
This is how the basal cell carcinoma scar looked on Christmas . I had minor pain for a month or so. And because of the placement on my neck, sweaters would rub right there.
You can see how my basal cell carcinoma scar looked a year after this surgery in this post.
Skin Cancer Patient 3
This patient was referred to Dr. Bhama by a Mohs surgeon for reconstruction after Mohs surgery for skin cancer. On pre-operative photos, notice the defect of the left nasal tip. Options were discussed with the patient and she elected for paramedian forehead flap. Intermediate photos are shown demonstrating the pedicle in place. Early post-operative photos are also demonstrated following division of the pedicle. Notice the excellent reconstruction result. The patient was very happy with both cosmetic and functional results and was able to breathe well through her nose. Her scar will continue to fade with time, and the fullness of the tissues will improve.
Basal Cell Carcinoma Before And After Pictures
To start, they marked and measured me. The red area in the circle is the basal cell carcinoma. Not that big of an area, or so I thought. Remember the front office gal I mentioned?
Well, she was like the best hostess ever. She brought me coffee. And teased me with treats she would be bringing around later. It was nice to spend some time with my husband. It was all very relaxed and enjoyable.
My husband and I, still in good spirits, took joke pictures to send to his mom. He doesnt do well in medical situations so we thought this photo, of him pretending to have passed out, seemed appropriate.
The dermatologist did round one. They laid me back, numbed me up and made an incision. It took just a few minutes. It wasnt awesome, but it was manageable. They removed some cells and took them to their onsite lab to evaluate.
Just a little bit of cotton and tape were put over the incision while we waited to see what would happen next. We were told results would take about an hour so we just had to relax and wait.
Sweet, sweet lady. First my husband and I were brought warm cinnamon swirl bread from the front office gal. Then an hour later she came by with these abelskivers from Trader Joes! I loved this place! They really did their best to make you comfortable.
But I wouldnt be there that long. At this point I just needed to be stitched up. So while the original red mark appeared to be very small, the cancer was actually much larger below the surface.
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Mohs Surgery On My Ear
Warning: photos below show an open wound and reconstruction of an ear, and graphic language describes the process.
It started out as a white crust on the side of my left ear. My fingers kept going to it. It felt rough and abnormal.
I showed the crusted area to my doctor during a routine visit. Yeah, this needs to be looked at, she said, and referred me to a dermatologist for evaluation.
A physicians assistant at the dermatologists office poked at the area and said a biopsy was needed. With my assent, he stabbed several numbing injections into the area , clipped off a chunk of the ear, and bandaged the wound.
I got a phone call two weeks later. Its basal cell carcinoma, the nurses assistant said. It needs to be removed. We use Mohs surgery for that. Its not urgent. I made an appointment a couple of months out.
Basal cell carcinoma? Ok, I can handle that. I had one removed from my left forearm three years ago. These likely were caused by sun damage over the years.
Basal cell carcinoma almost never spreads beyond the original tumor site. Only in exceedingly rare cases can it spread to other parts of the body and become life-threatening. It shouldnt be taken lightly, though: it can be disfiguring if not treated promptly. www.skincancer.org
Research showed that Mohs surgery is the gold standard treatment for basal cell carcinoma.
Once the cancer has been eradicated, the damaged part is reconstructed.
Here is a photo before the skin graft was applied.
What Is The Purpose Of Mohs Surgery
Mohs surgery is a painstaking procedure. It requires microscopic analysis of tissue cells while the surgery is taking place. The borders of each thin layer of tissue are analyzed for potential malignancy as they are removed horizontally. This technique is designed to remove the entire tumor with minimal amounts of healthy tissue. This results in less disfigurement. For this reason, Mohs surgery is ideal for removing skin cancers from the face, ears, or genitals.
The procedure is highly effective for skin cancers that have high rates of recurrence. Its also effective on aggressive or large lesions. Mohs surgery is also used when lesions have ill-defined borders.
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How Is Mohs Surgery Performed
Mohs surgery is always performed in a medical facility that houses a laboratory.
An anesthetic will be injected into the area where the tumor is located, numbing it completely and making the procedure painless. Your surgeon will use a scalpel to gently remove the tumor, along with one layer of tissue from around it. The tumor and tissue will be taken to the lab for analysis while you wait. This waiting period may last up to an hour or longer, but youll be able to use the restroom if you need to. If the tumor is not next to your mouth, youll also be able to have a light snack or something to drink.
In the lab, the tissue sample will be sectioned and analyzed. If cancer is found, an additional layer of tissue will be removed in the exact area where the malignancy was located. This process continues until no more cancer cells are detected.
If you have malignant melanoma, its vitally important that your surgeon remove every single microscopic melanoma cell. This reduces the chance of cancer spreading to other parts of your body. New technologies, including stains that highlight malignant cells under a microscope and other immunohistochemistry techniques, help to further diminish this risk.
If the procedure is very long, you may require an additional injection of anesthesia.
Skin Cancer Patient 7
This patient underwent Mohs surgery for excision of a basal cell carcinoma from the nose and was referred to Dr. Bhama for repair of the resulting defect. Note the defect of the left nasal ala. Because of the importance of this structure in breathing, the patient had to undergo not only reconstruction of the skin defect, but repair of the nasal valve to facilitate breathing. She underwent complex staged reconstruction using an interpolated melolabial flap with auricular cartilage grafting. Her intermediate photo is also shown, demonstrating the pedicled flap. Also shown in an early post-operative view demonstrating excellent contour of the nose. No revision surgery has been performed, and no steroid injections have been performed.
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Skin Cancer Patient 8
Dr. Bhama was asked to perform reconstruction on this patient who underwent Mohs surgery for treatment of skin cancer. Pre-operative photographs show a substantial defect of the right nasal ala and sidewall extending nearly down to the mucosa. Options were discussed with the patient including melolabial interpolated flap, paramedian forehead flap, and delayed reconstruction technique. The patient elected for delayed reconstruction technique using a full thickness skin graft from the pre-auricular region on the right side. Early post-operative photos show an excellent cosmetic result. No revision surgery has been performed, and no steroid injections have been performed. The patientâs ability to breathe through the nose on that side has also been preserved. The appearance of the donor site in the cheek in front of the right ear will continue to improve with time.
Ear Skin Cancers Need Mohs
Historically, ear skin cancers have had the highest rate of recurrence for skin cancers on the face. In the past the recurrence rates were 10-20% using traditional surgical excision. That’s pretty high for skin cancer. Why?
We don’t have all the answers, but here are a few of reasons that seem consistent:
1. Too conservative – traditional surgical excision may have been too conservative at times in order to avoid distorting the shape of the ear.
2. 3-D – the three-dimensional shape of the ear can make orientation in the laboratory difficult if residual cancer is discovered under the microscope.
3. More aggressive – ear skin cancer may grow in a more insidious way that other skin cancers on the face.
4. Prior treatment- multiple treatments with other therapies like cryotherapy or topical chemotherapy creams can sometimes leave skin cancer incompletely treated and more insidious.
For these reasons, Mohs surgery is typically recommended for skin cancer on the ear. For a primary skin cancer the cure rates are in the upper 90 percentile. In addition to the highest cure rate, Mohs surgery allows for conservative layer by layer removal in order to maximize the functional and cosmetic results.
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Surgical Procedures For Basal & Squamous Cell Skin Cancers
Basal or squamous cell skin cancers may need to be removed with procedures such as electrodessication and curettage, surgical excision, or Mohs surgery, with possible reconstruction of the skin and surrounding tissue.
Squamous cell cancer can be aggressive, and our surgeons may need to remove more tissue. They may also recommend additional treatments for advanced squamous cell cancer, such as medications or radiation therapyenergy beams that penetrate the skin, killing cancer cells in the body.
Basal cell cancer is less likely to become aggressive, but if it does, our doctors may use surgery and other therapies to treat it.
Mohs Surgery Pictures To Help You Know More About The Procedure
While it proves very effective for tumors on the neck and head, it also helps treat tumors around the ears, eyes, nose, and lips. The procedure has also produced good results in the treatment of ill-defined tumors irrespective of their location. Many people have undergone Mohs surgery to successfully treat aggressive and recurring tumors. However, your surgeon will first consider your unique circumstances and determine if Mohs surgery is the best treatment option for your condition or not.
Repair of the Nostril of the Nose
Goals: The procedure helps treat a defect of the nostril margin. The Mohs surgery pictures show how an ear cartilage graft and a staged cheek flap helped repair the nose of the patient.
Skin Graft Nose after Mohs Surgery
Skin Graft Ear After Surgery
This young woman first came in for a checkup when she was only 30. She underwent Mohs skin cancer surgery but returned a month later for checkup. She developed squamous cell carcinoma, but her surgery was not that serious and required only six sutures. It is due to this reason that she developed no scarring.
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Skin Cancer Patient 9
This patient underwent Mohs surgery for excision of a lentigo maligna from the nose and was referred to Dr. Bhama for repair of the defect. Note the defect of the nasal tip and dorsum. Options were discussed with the patient, and she elected for bilobe flap repair of the nose. Surgery went well, and shown is a very early post-operative result. No revision surgery, dermabrasion, or steroid injection were performed as the patient was very happy with the results. The scar will continue to heal, improving the result with time.
More Mohs Surgery Pictures And Successful Experience Sharing
Story # 1
These pictures show how effective the surgery can be. However, I would like to mention that the incision site was quite numb for several months after my procedure. There was no swelling or redness after a few weeks, but that pink appearance persisted for about two months. My friend game me Kelo-cote that I believe is something everyone should use after the surgery for the color and texture of the scar. There was some pain but it wore off in a day or two after the surgery.
Complications
One of my external stitches caused problem as it did not come out with the others. My surgeon found it a bit difficult to get rid of it, but I finally had it removed. The biggest part of the carcinoma was on the center of my scar and this area became a bit wider than the rest. It was not closing that well either. I saw my doctor who gave me a pressure bandage to wear for a while. I also experienced another problem about three months after the procedure when an internal stitch made its way up to the surface, but it resolved on its own after the scar site finished healing.
In the End
I often meet women who have the same scar as do I, but I say nothing to them. I do recognize it instantly though because I have spent months looking so closely at mine. Thankfully, it is all gone now!
Story # 2
On the Day of Surgery
Three Days After Surgery
4 Months after Surgery
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Once Your Mohs Surgery Wound Heals
Scars tend to improve over the course of several months, with significant improvement noted during the first month. In some cases, scar revision or resurfacing of the scar may be of benefit after Mohs surgery.
If you are doing well at the time of suture removal, we may discharge you to the care of your referring dermatologist.
It is important that you keep regular follow-up examinations with your dermatologist. You are at increased risk of developing additional skin cancer and pre-cancers. Early diagnosis and treatment will benefit you. Examination of your surgical site is also needed to monitor for any recurrence of your treated skin cancer.
General Wound Care After Mohs Surgery
How to Replace a Pressure Dressing Following Mohs Surgery
What to Do for Bleeding After Mohs Surgery
Go Deeper: American College of Mohs Surgery Video
What Is Mohs Surgery
Here is my, probably very wrong, description of what Mohs Surgery is. First they remove the area that they believe to contain the cancer cells.
There is a pathologist right on site who evaluates the cells and determines if they need to go back and take more tissue. They do this as many times as they need to in order to remove all cancer cells and get a clear margin around the area.
So the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, my husband took the day off of work and went with me to the most gorgeous dermatologists office ever in Newport Beach, CA.
I have not seen any bills from this procedure yet and I will probably have to sell everything I own to pay it but at that moment, I needed all the amenities they provided .
The most amazing front desk gal had called a few days before and explained that I should plan on being there the whole day. Up to this point, I really thought I would be in and out.
I asked my mom, who would watch the kids during the procedure, if she would just keep them overnight since I had no idea when I would get home.
The office smelled like a spa. The music was relaxing and everyone was beyond friendly. But I was starting to get pretty darn nervous.
My fathers Mohs Surgery experience was much different from mine. I was given my own private room with space for my husband to work and a TV to watch. The entire procedure would be done in this room and the doctor would come to me.
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The Most Effective Technique For Treating Common Skin Cancers
Mohs surgery is considered the most effective technique for treating many basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas , the two most common types of skin cancer. Sometimes called Mohs micrographic surgery, the procedure is done in stages, including lab work, while the patient waits. This allows the removal of all cancerous cells for the highest cure rate while sparing healthy tissue and leaving the smallest possible scar.
It began as a technique called chemosurgery, developed by Frederic E. Mohs, MD, in the late 1930s, but was not widely known. In the mid 1960s, Perry Robins, MD, studied the procedure with Dr. Mohs, and recognized that it had great potential for the field of dermatology. He brought the technique to NYU, where he established the first fellowship training program to teach dermatologists this skin cancer surgery. Dr. Robins helped advance the procedure into what is now called Mohs surgery and went on to teach and promote it around the world.
for a skin cancer that has not been treated before