What should you know about Mohs surgery and plastic surgery?

Mohs surgery is performed by a trained skin surgeon who removes a tumour in stages and checks the margins during the visit. This approach can preserve healthy tissue around areas such as the nose, eyelid, ear, or lip. A plastic surgeon may then repair the resulting wound, either on the same day or after the pathology and wound plan are reviewed. The need for plastic surgery depends on the wound's location, depth, size, and effect on function; it is not required for every Mohs procedure.

Basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma are common reasons a clinician may discuss Mohs surgery. Surgical excision is another approach in selected cases, with the choice shaped by the tumour and the surrounding anatomy.

Ask who will remove the cancer, who will perform the repair, and whether both appointments are arranged together. Provide a full list of medicines, supplements, allergies, and previous operations. Follow instructions about eating, washing the area, and medicines before the visit. After surgery, keep dressings dry as directed, avoid pressure or strenuous activity that could disturb the repair, and attend every wound check. Do not apply products to a fresh wound unless the treating team recommends them.

Call the treating clinic if bleeding continues despite firm pressure, pain becomes difficult to control, or redness, warmth, swelling, or discharge is increasing. Urgent assessment is needed for breathing or swallowing difficulty, rapidly expanding swelling, severe weakness, or a sudden change in the repaired area's colour or function. Keep the surgeon's contact instructions available because the Mohs and reconstruction teams may have different follow-up roles.

Ask whether reconstruction is likely, who will perform it, what type of closure is being considered, and how the repair may affect movement or sensation. Clarify dressing care, activity limits, scar follow-up, and the exact symptoms that require urgent contact.