Do you need a referral for Mohs surgery?

Mohs surgery is a specialised procedure that removes a skin cancer in stages while examining tissue during the operation. A referral can send the biopsy report, pathology details, photographs, and relevant medical history to a dermatologic surgeon. It also helps the specialist decide whether Mohs is appropriate for the tumour’s type, location, borders, and previous treatment history.

Some specialist services accept enquiries directly, but they may still ask for a formal referral and biopsy information before scheduling. A referral does not itself confirm that Mohs is the right operation; the surgeon makes that decision after reviewing the diagnosis and examining you.

Ask the doctor who diagnosed the lesion whether they will send the referral and pathology report. Request the name of the receiving service, how the appointment will be arranged, and what to do if the wound changes while you wait. Bring a list of medicines, allergies, previous operations, and conditions that affect healing or bleeding.

Tell the referring team if the lesion is growing, bleeding repeatedly, becoming painful, or changing quickly. Keep the biopsy or treatment site clean according to the instructions you were given, and do not remove a scab or apply unfamiliar products without advice. Confirm whether the surgeon needs your previous pathology slides or images.

Seek prompt review for uncontrolled bleeding, increasing pain, spreading redness, warmth, pus, fever, or a wound that is opening. New weakness, severe swelling, or an allergic reaction needs urgent assessment. If a suspicious lesion changes rapidly while a referral is pending, contact the referring clinician or specialist service so the urgency can be reassessed.

Ask why Mohs surgery is being considered, whether the diagnosis came from a biopsy, and which records will accompany the referral. Ask what the procedure day may involve, how reconstruction will be planned, which medicines need review, and how wound care will work. Confirm who will contact you and whom to call if the lesion or biopsy site changes.