If you’ve been diagnosed with skin cancer, you may be hearing about surgery options and wondering: What is Mohs surgery? When is it performed, and how does it work?

Understanding Mohs Surgery

Mohs surgery is a highly specialized surgical technique used to treat non-melanoma skin cancers, most commonly basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). These cancers are usually caused by long-term UV exposure from the sun. Skin cancer often develops not from recent sunburns but from decades of accumulated sun damage.

How Mohs Surgery Works

During Mohs surgery, the skin cancer is carefully cut out with a scalpel. The removed tissue is dyed in four different colors, which correspond to the exact orientation of how it was taken from your skin.

That tissue is then examined under a microscope while you remain in the office. If any cancer cells remain, the surgeon uses the color coding to identify the precise area to re-remove tissue. This process repeats until all cancer cells are gone.

This meticulous method ensures:

• Complete cancer removal

• Preservation of healthy skin

• Minimal scarring

Your surgeon may also reference a “clock face” during surgery, where 12 o’clock points toward your head and 6 o’clock toward your feet, to describe the location of any remaining cancer.

When Is Mohs Surgery Covered by Insurance?

Not every non-melanoma skin cancer qualifies for Mohs. Insurance coverage is determined by “acceptable use criteria”, which consider:

• Type of skin cancer (depth and aggressiveness)

• Location (cosmetically sensitive or high-risk areas such as the face, scalp, neck, hands, feet, or genitalia)

• Recurrence (cancers that have returned in the same spot)

• Size (tumors larger than 2 cm in diameter)

• Patient health (immunocompromised patients or those with genetic syndromes often qualify)

Mohs vs. Excision

When Mohs surgery isn’t appropriate, many skin cancers are treated with routine excision. In this procedure:

• The cancer and a margin of healthy tissue are surgically removed.

• The tissue is sent to a lab for confirmation under a microscope.

• Results are typically available within 1–2 weeks, unlike Mohs where results are immediate.

Excision is effective, but Mohs surgery offers the advantage of same-day confirmation and tissue-sparing precision, especially for cancers in delicate or visible areas.

Your skin cancer diagnosis doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. At Tareen Dermatology, our team specializes in Mohs surgery and advanced skin cancer treatments designed to remove cancer while preserving healthy skin. Contact us today to schedule a consultation and take the next step toward healing.

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