Facial skin cancer surgery – The Mohs Micrographic Technique
When you’ve been diagnosed with a skin cancer on your face, understandably you’re concerned. What does the treatment involve and what will you look like afterwards?
‘‘Being told you have skin cancer on your face can be a frightening experience,’’ says Dr Paul Salmon, dermatologist at Skin Centre, Ascot.
‘‘But with the Mohs technique and our reconstructive skills at the Skin Centre, there is no reason to fear disfigurement in the treatment of facial skin cancer.’’
Normally excision of skin cancers involves removal of a margin of normal skin in order to ensure eradication of the tumor. Mohs Micrographic surgery, a technique developed in the United States, allows removal of just the cancerous skin.
It preserves normal skin and nerves by tracing out all the cancer’s roots, but at the same time, minimising the signs of surgery.
‘‘Facial skin cancer is my passion,’’ Dr Salmon says.
‘‘I have focused my whole career on providing the very highest standards for myself and my patients, so that even patients with difficult skin cancers have great outcomes.
‘‘The first time you treat a skin cancer is your best chance of eradicating it,’’ he says.
‘‘The Mohs technique gives my patients the best chance of cure and peace of mind.’’
Paul Salmon is one of Australasia’s leading practitioners of this technique and will chair the session on Mohs Micrographic Surgery at the World Congress of Dermatology in Vancouver this year.
He has more than 40 scientific papers published in the field of skin cancer reconstruction.
For more information about Skin Centre, visit www. skincentre.com or contact the team on 0800 754 623. You can find Skin Centre, Ascot at Unit GD, 95 Ascot Ave, Remuera.