ABSTRACT
This chapter covers the full range of dermatologic surgery that are essential reading for residents in dermatology, family practice, and surgical specialties. Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) is a procedure that allows for microscopically guided tissue resection of skin cancers. MMS has been shown to have the highest cure rates for selected tumors; the technique allows a surgeon to spare as much healthy tissue as possible by excising the cancer in layers until all margins are tumor free. MMS is the optimal treatment for a skin cancer that is difficult to cure and that occurs in an area where one wants to preserve as much normal tissue as possible. This technique allows for complete examination of all cut surgical margins and thus results in the highest possible tumor cure rate. Proper training in this technique provides advanced surgical expertise, a comprehensive understanding of oncologic dermatopathology, the ability to create properly oriented and stained frozen sections, and experience with complicated reconstructive procedure.
