If you are considering Mohs surgery to treat your non-melanoma skin cancer, you may be curious as to what your Mohs surgery recovery may look like. Patients may experience swelling, bruising, and sensitivity, but the most common issue with healing after Mohs surgery on the face is scarring. This procedure almost always requires additional cosmetic surgeries or treatments to achieve desired aesthetic results, but there are Mohs surgery alternatives. Learn more with GentleCure. 

What is Mohs Surgery?  

Mohs surgery, also known as Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS), is a procedure used to remove skin cancer lesions or bumps from the body. Mohs removes affected tissue by cutting it out from the skin, leaving behind the healthy tissue. 

Once the visible cancer has been removed, physicians will use a special dye to pigment the surrounding skin to see if there are remaining cancerous cells. If found, additional cutting will be needed. If clear, the patient will be deemed tumor free. 

Mohs surgery does an excellent job at removing skin cancer, though it is labor intensive and often results in scarring and longer recovery times for the patient. Healing after Mohs surgery on the face can include lengthy periods of bruising, sensitivity, and scarring, with many patients seeking cosmetic surgery after Mohs to produce better visible results. 

Mohs Surgery Recovery  

Mohs surgery recovery is typically completed within two weeks post procedure, with patients required to rest and avoid heavy activity. Many return to work the next day. Most patients do not require pain medication but may experience sensitivity around the affected area. 

After two weeks, patients will need to visit their dermatologist to remove their stitches. The hardest part of healing after Mohs surgery on the face is the visible scarring, which may require additional cosmetic surgery to achieve desired results. 

Additional Mohs surgery recovery tips: 

• Avoid exercise or heavy lifting for up to 48 hours post procedure
• Keep the area dry for at least 24 hours or longer 
• Use soap or hydrogen peroxide to clean the wound as needed 
• Apply ice packs to reduce swelling

If the wound experiences significant bleeding or excessive pain, patients should notify their physician immediately. 

Image-Guided SRT is Your Mohs Surgery Alternative

Mohs surgery recovery almost always involves significant scarring but there are alternatives to this procedure. Image-Guided Superficial Radiotherapy (Image-Guided SRT) treats skin cancer without cutting or surgical scarring, harnessing the power of radiotherapy to hypertarget affected areas. Image-Guided SRT produces better cosmetic results and little to no recovery time. Discover how it works and discuss your options with GentleCure’s Skin Cancer Information Specialists at 855-936-4411 today.