Mohs micrographic surgery was developed in 1938 by Frederic Mohs, a surgeon at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to remove skin cancer more precisely and with higher cure rates than in previous therapy. The procedure has largely evolved into an office-based surgery that allows a client to have their skin cancer removed during their appointment, with the highest cure rates, and the most acceptable, tissue-conservative scars.

The surgeon performing the procedure is also the pathologist. That person performs the surgery and reads the microscopic slides to deem the skin clear of cancer or not. The procedure entails anesthetizing the area with local anesthesia. General anesthesia is rarely, if ever, used. Tissue is removed in layers and evaluated at the microscopic level to be sure the client is clear before they return home. If any atypical tissue remains, another layer is removed. In this way, the surgery is considered a very tissue conservative procedure. This is very important when you consider that most skin cancers occur on very cosmetically sensitive areas, such as the face, nose and ears.

Most clients will return home with sutures, to be removed in 7-14 days, depending on the area treated. Different cosmetic surgical techniques are used to make the scar less noticable.