Mohs Surgery Guides | How It Works and What to Expect

Nerve Damage After Skin Cancer Surgery: How Common Is It and What Are the Warning Signs?

Numbness after skin cancer surgery is common, expected, and almost always temporary. Genuine nerve damage, the kind that affects how your face moves rather than just how it feels, is a separate and much rarer thing. Mixing the two up causes a lot of unnecessary worry in the days after surgery. Knowing the difference, and […]

Types of Mohs Surgery Explained: Same-Day vs Delayed Reconstruction

A surgeon suturing a local flap during facial reconstruction

“Types of Mohs surgery” is a slightly misleading way to put it. There aren’t different versions of the Mohs technique itself, the excision and the microscope mapping work the same way for every patient. What actually varies is how the wound gets closed afterwards, either the same day or at a later appointment. Both routes […]

What Does “Mohs” Actually Stand For?

A specialist reviewing a dermoscopy scan with a patient

What does “Mohs” actually stand for? Nothing. It isn’t an acronym. Mohs is a surname, belonging to Dr Frederic E. Mohs, the American surgeon who developed the technique in the 1930s. Writing it in capitals, as “MOHS”, is a common habit, not an official abbreviation. It’s an easy assumption to make. Most medical terms written […]

Inside the Mohs Lab: The Equipment and Techniques Behind the Procedure

A surgeon preparing precise instruments before tumour removal

Patients see the surgery. What they rarely see is the small lab next door where the actual decision gets made, whether the cancer is gone or whether another layer needs to come out. It’s a handful of pieces of equipment and one highly trained person, working together in the time it takes you to sit […]

Before-and-After Mohs Surgery: What Real Results Look Like

Dermatologist examining skin with dermoscope

What do real Mohs surgery results actually look like? Genuinely, it depends more on your individual case, the site treated and how it’s closed than on any single photo you’ll find online. Searching for “before and after” images is a completely natural way to prepare, but it’s worth knowing how to read them honestly before […]

Mohs Surgery on the Face: What Determines the Cost

Dermatologist examining patient's nose for BCC

What determines the cost of Mohs surgery on the face? The honest answer is that no single number applies to everyone, because cost is driven by how many stages your surgery needs, how the resulting wound is closed, and where you’re treated, rather than a flat procedure fee. Patients researching cost are often really asking […]

What Can Go Wrong With Mohs Surgery? A Realistic Look at Risks

Dermatologist examining patient’s facial skin

What can actually go wrong with Mohs surgery? Serious complications are uncommon, and the procedure has one of the best safety and cure-rate profiles in skin cancer treatment. Most patients experience only the expected, manageable side effects of any skin surgery, such as swelling, bruising and a scar. Searching “Mohs surgery gone wrong” before a […]

How Long Does Swelling Last After Mohs Surgery on the Face?

A surgeon reviewing facial reconstruction plans in a consulting room

How long does swelling last after Mohs surgery on the face? For most patients, visible swelling peaks within the first two to three days, then eases steadily over the following week, with most of it gone by around two weeks. Some sites, particularly near the eyes, can take a little longer to fully settle. Swelling […]

What Happens Between Mohs Surgery Stages? Understanding the Interval

A surgeon preparing a skin graft in an operating theatre

What happens between Mohs surgery stages? While you’re sitting in a recovery area with a dressing over your wound, your tissue sample is going through a precise, multi-step laboratory process designed to let the surgeon check the entire cut edge for remaining cancer, not just a sample of it, which is what a specialised frozen-section […]

Do You Need General Anaesthetic for Mohs Surgery? Debunking a Common Fear

Do you need general anaesthetic for Mohs surgery? No. Mohs surgery is carried out under local anaesthetic, which means the area being treated is numbed with an injection while you stay fully awake and aware throughout. You are not put to sleep at any point. This is one of the most common fears patients raise […]

How Long Does Mohs Surgery Actually Take? A Timeline From Consultation to Closure

A clinician suturing a small surgical wound

How long does Mohs surgery take? Most patients are at the hospital or clinic for somewhere between three hours and a full day. The British Association of Dermatologists describes it as taking half a day on average, though it can run longer. There is no single figure that applies to everyone, because Mohs surgery is […]