Surgery is generally used for many benign (cysts, lipomas, warts, and moles) and malignant (cancerous) growths. There are a variety of surgical techniques for benign lesions, such as the punch excision or a shave removal, but for malignant tumors, it is wise to do a complete excision with clear surgical margins. Mohs surgery is a specialized type of surgical excision where the tumor is removed in layers only where needed, thus sparing the removal of normal tissue and making the eventual residual skin defect smaller.
Skin surgery also involves a component of plastic surgery. When a malignancy is removed, the defect left may require a flap closure (moving tissue from other areas) or a graft (removing skin surgically from another area and “patching” the defect). Dr. Mosel is a Board Certified Dermatologist and is trained for these types of dermatological surgery. Below is additional information on different types of surgical procedures. The information on this site is provided solely for educational purposes.
