In recent news at the HSDC; Dr Sanjay Rajpara is one of our newest members of the HSDC family and we are very pleased to publicise that he carried out the first Mohs procedure arranged by our clinic and performed at our trusted operating theatres at 152 Harley street.
Mohs surgery is a precise surgical technique used to treat skin cancer. The procedure, although a little costly, is highly meticulous, thorough and very highly regarded in the dermatology field. Usually when diagnosed with a skin cancer, the main methods of treatment are known to be the surgical removal via excision or radiotherapy in some cases. Mohs surgery however has the highest cure rate of up to 99% for primary tumours and up to 95% for recurrent tumours.
It is typically used to remove the more commonly known skin cancers, basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). This is because they are known to appear in the head and neck area of the body, meaning that minimal surgical scarring and a good cosmetic outcome is even more important to the patient diagnosed.
During Mohs surgery, thin layers of cancer-holding skin are carefully removed with a small margin of healthy skin around it and examined in horizontal sections until only cancer free tissue remains. The surgery itself is named after its founder, Dr Frederick Mohs.
His concept of the surgery was made back in the 1930s, and by the 1970s several discoveries and advancements were made that allowed the procedure to be modified accordingly, and a successful leading treatment for skin cancer today.The advantage of this method is that as little healthy skin around the cancer as necessary is removed, keeping the wound as minimal as possible.
Dr Rajpara has had special extensive training to be able to carry Mohs surgery out, and only dermatologists who are trained in this micrographic surgery can perform it. There are other specialists that can be involved on the day; a technician to assist for certain, and sometimes a plastic surgeon may be involved to help reconstruct the wound.
We highly recommend this procedure for all the above-mentioned benefits but also for the peace of mind of the patient; not only are you discharged home on the same day, but your dermatologist can be almost certain that your skin cancer is fully removed on the day of your procedure too.
