Mohs surgeon Karen L. Connolly provides care to people with skin cancer at our Basking Ridge location.
Mohs surgery is a highly specialized skin cancer treatment. It is used to remove basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. In New Jersey, Memorial Sloan Kettering offers Mohs procedures at our convenient outpatient location in Basking Ridge.
What is Mohs surgery?
Mohs is a dermatologic surgery that involves removing the skin cancer in thin layers. Your Mohs surgeon will look at each layer under a microscope, examining it for cancer cells before taking another slice. They stop when they find a slice free of cancer.
Other names for Mohs surgery include micrographic surgery and Mohs micrographic surgery.
Which skin cancers are treated with Mohs surgery?
Mohs procedures can work well for people with:
- large squamous cell cancers or basal cell cancers
- high-risk squamous cell cancers or basal cell cancers
- squamous cell cancers or basal cell cancers that have come back after initial treatment
- squamous cell cancers or basal cell cancers in areas such as the lips, nose, or other areas of the face where we want to spare as much skin as possible
What are the benefits of Mohs surgery?
Mohs surgery is a tissue-sparring technique. It is a highly effective way to remove skin cancers complely. Complete removal helps ensure that the tumor doesn’t grow back in the same location after your treatment.
Mohs surgery is the most effective method to treat skin cancer. It also results in less scarring than other dermatologic surgeries.
What is the recovery time for Mohs surgery?
Recovery time from Mohs surgery depends on the location and size of the cancer. You will need to have your sutures removed in seven to 14 days after your procedure. In general, scars take at least three to six months to settle and heal.
Why choose MSK Basking Ridge for Mohs surgery?
Our goal is to give compassionate, personalized care to every person who comes to Memorial Sloan Kettering Basking Ridge for skin cancer treatment. Your team of specialists focuses solely on the treatment of cancer. This includes your doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals.
Choose MSK Basking Ridge for Mohs surgery because:
- Patients receive care from a highly experienced Mohs surgeon.
- The vast majority of our patients have their skin cancer removed and any changes in skin repaired on the same day.
- We have access to the most-advanced clinical imaging facility and diagnostic tools in the tri-state area. Tools such as dermoscopy, confocal laser microscopy, and 3-D total-body photography help our doctors to detect skin cancer at its earliest stages while avoiding unnecessary biopsies.