Mohs Surgery Specialist
-
- Tweet
SunWise Family Dermatology & Surgery
Dermatology Practice & Surgeons located in Middletown, DE & Dover, DE
When caught early and properly treated, 99% of skin cancers are curable. Nevertheless, if you’re at-risk or have skin cancer, don’t trust your care to just anyone. Jennifer LaRusso, DO, is fellowship-trained in Mohs surgery, the most efficient and successful cure for skin cancer available. At SunWise Family Dermatology & Surgery, Dr. LaRusso, and Gerard W. Stroup, PA-C, treat all types of skin cancers. If you live in or near Middletown, Delaware, seek professional care at an American College of Mohs Surgery (ACMS) accredited facility. Call to schedule your appointment or book online today.
Mohs Surgery Q & A
What is Mohs surgery?
Mohs surgery, also called Mohs micrographic surgery, uses a surgical technique that precisely removes thin layers of skin to eliminate skin cancer. Dr. LaRusso, who’s received extensive training in Mohs surgery, takes each layer of skin and examines it under a microscope, looking for skin cancer cells.
She repeats this process until she reaches a layer of skin free from cancer cells.
What happens during Mohs surgery?
Dr. LaRusso performs Mohs surgery as an outpatient procedure at SunWise Family Dermatology & Surgery. She numbs the area with a local anesthetic, then removes the targeted area with a scalpel.
She places a temporary bandage over the area and takes the removed skin into a laboratory to examine it. This examination is thorough and may take up to an hour. During this time, you can read, use your phone, or go to the bathroom, but you must stay at the office.
If Dr. LaRusso found cancer cells at the lowest level of skin, she repeats the process until a sample is cancer free. By examining each layer, she verifies that all cancer cells are removed at the time of surgery. That isn’t possible with other skin cancer removal procedures, such as local excision.
Although most of these procedures last a few hours, Dr. LaRusso asks that you prepare for the whole day, as the visible area of skin cancer doesn’t always predict its actual size.
Does Mohs surgery need aftercare?
Once Dr. LaRusso completes your Mohs surgery, she determines how to close your wound. That depends on a variety of factors, including the size of your surgical area. She may:
- Let the wound heal on its own
- Use stitches to close it
- Cover the area with a skin flap from an adjacent area
- Create a skin graft from another part of the body
Once she closes and dresses your wound, Dr. LaRusso discusses your aftercare. She explains when to change your bandages and how to care for the surgical area. If you experience discomfort, she recommends taking over-the-counter pain relievers.
She may request that you wait before wearing makeup or exercising. A follow-up appointment is scheduled, and you’re free to go.
When you need skin cancer removed, go to one of the only two fellowship-trained Mohs surgeons in Delaware. Call to schedule your appointment with Dr. LaRusso or book online today.
