Why Fellowship-Trained Mohs Surgeons are Preferred by Skin Cancer Patients

If you have been diagnosed with skin cancer, Mohs surgery was likely recommended to you as one of the most effective treatment options. This surgery requires high precision and advanced training and experience are recommended to produce the best outcome.  Surgeons who have successfully completed the fellowship program are in high demand as they are trained to remove the portion of the tissue that has cancer cells and leave the healthy tissue in place with a high degree of precision.

What is Mohs Surgery

According to the Mayo Clinic, the Mohs surgical technique involves removing thin layers of skin in a progressive manner, until the cancer is fully removed, leaving the healthy skin intact. Recently, with the addition of the ability to freeze tissue, tumors are able to be removed with 99% accuracy. While other surgical options exist for skin cancer treatment, the Mohs method is desirable as it removes the cancer while posing only a minimal risk to damaging the surrounding healthy skin tissue. The more precise the surgery, the better the outcome for the patient.

Mohs Fellowship Program

Some of the best Mohs surgeons completed the fellowship program, accredited by the American College of Mohs Surgery. The fellowship program has a duration of one to two years. Acceptance into the program is highly competitive with the best-qualified physicians selected to participate. The program instructors are experienced Mohs surgeons who have demonstrated exceptional proficiency with the technique. These instructors serve as one-on-one trainers for each dermatologist who participates in the fellowship program. While board-certified physicians are able to perform the Mohs procedure, experienced Mohs surgeons who are fellowship-trained are sought after by skin cancer patients.

Requirements of Mohs Fellowship Training

• Be a part of at least five hundred Mohs surgery cases
• Correctly analyze and evaluate tissue samples removed during surgery
• Participate in numerous reconstructive tissue surgeries

Suncoast Skin Solutions has six fellowship-trained surgeons on staff who serve ten Florida locations.