Dermatology
Our dermatology program is built around Mohs surgery — a layer-by-layer technique for removing skin cancer, with every margin checked on-site before you leave the chair. It remains the highest cure-rate treatment for most skin cancers on the face, ears, and hands, and it's the specialty CDMS was founded on.
How a Mohs procedure works
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1
The visible tumor is removed
Under local anesthesia, your surgeon removes a thin layer of tissue containing the visible cancer, along with a narrow margin around it.
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2
The margin is mapped and read on-site
The tissue is processed in our on-site lab and examined under a microscope immediately — not sent out to an external pathology lab. You wait comfortably on-site while this happens, typically 45–60 minutes.
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3
Additional layers are removed only where needed
If any cancer cells remain at a specific point on the margin, your surgeon removes another thin layer from precisely that location — not the whole area — and reads it again. This repeats until every margin is clear.
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4
The site is repaired the same day
Once you're clear, your Mohs surgeon closes the wound, or, for larger or more visible sites, a plastic surgeon in the same building performs the reconstruction — often that same afternoon.
Why Mohs instead of standard excision
Standard excision removes a fixed margin of tissue and sends it to an outside lab, with results in several days — if cancer is found at the edge, a second procedure is scheduled. Mohs surgery checks 100% of the margin before you leave, so the cure rate for appropriate tumors is significantly higher, and it's usually resolved in one visit.
Because only the affected tissue is removed, Mohs also spares more healthy skin than a standard excision with a fixed safety margin — which matters most on the face, ears, eyelids, nose, and hands, where preserving tissue and function is a priority.
Who Mohs surgery is for
Common diagnoses
Basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma are the two cancers most often treated with Mohs. Your referring dermatologist will confirm whether Mohs is appropriate for your specific diagnosis.
High-priority locations
Face, scalp, ears, eyelids, lips, nose, hands, feet, and genitals — areas where tissue-sparing and precise margins matter most for function and appearance.
How you're referred
Most patients arrive with a biopsy-confirmed diagnosis from their dermatologist. If you have a new or changing spot that hasn't been evaluated yet, start with your dermatologist or primary care physician.
Have a biopsy result in hand?
Bring your pathology report and referral, and we'll schedule your Mohs procedure.