Information for new Mohs Consultations

You have been referred to The Mohs Surgery Unit for a procedure called Mohs surgery or microscopically controlled surgery, in order to remove your skin cancer. This is performed only on patients who have had a recurrence of their skin cancer or who are at high risk of recurrence if more traditional methods of removal are used. It involves step-wise removal of tissue and on the spot examination of specimens and further surgery only in areas where cancer persists. This enables us to remove the tumor cells while preserving as much normal tissue as possible. It also gives us the greatest chance of curing you of your cancer.

The initial visit will be for a consultation exam only. We will discuss the procedure, evaluate the size and extent of your tumor and determine the amount of time we will need to treat you. On this first visit we will together select the best surgery date for you in the near future. For those of you who have access to the internet, two sites of interest include: MohsCollege.org (lots of good information on Mohs Surgery and skin cancers in general) and kp.org/mydoctor (where you can enter the name of your doctor to find out more about him/her)

The procedure is done on an outpatient basis in our department. The vast majority of people are completed in one day and return home that evening. On the surgery day we recommend you bring someone along with you in case you don’t feel up to driving. We can arrange follow up care either here at Santa Teresa or at your facility with your doctor.

If the time for the consultation appointment is inconvenient, please call the Dermatology Scheduling Clerk at (408) 972-3275 and reschedule. Please tell them this is a consultation for Moh’s surgery and you will get priority on the new appointment. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Steven L. Swengel, M.D.
Jeffrey B. Smith, MD
Diana Q Ho, MD
Sandra C. Paek, MD

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