Mohs Micrographic Surgery
Mohs surgery offers very high cure rates while preserving healthy tissue, with same-day results. The surgeon in Chapin reads his own slides.
Why Mohs is different
Mohs micrographic surgery is not simply a more aggressive excision. It is a fundamentally different approach to skin cancer removal. The surgeon serves simultaneously as the operating physician and the pathologist, examining 100% of the surgical margins in real time while the patient waits.
This real-time feedback loop is what makes Mohs among the most precise and tissue-conserving techniques available, particularly for cancers on the face, ears, scalp, hands, and feet. Areas where preserving healthy tissue matters most.
The Mohs process
1. Tissue removal
A thin layer of visibly affected tissue is removed under local anesthesia. The procedure is outpatient and same-day.
2. Microscopic analysis
The removed tissue is mapped, frozen, sectioned, and examined microscopically. 100% of margins assessed by Dr. Hardy himself.
3. Targeted re-excision
If any margin shows tumor, only that specific area is re-excised. Healthy tissue is preserved at every step.
4. Wound closure
Once clear margins are confirmed, the wound is closed using the most appropriate technique (repair, flap, graft, or secondary intention), optimized for both function and cosmesis.
Cure rates for Mohs surgery reach 98% to 99% for primary tumors, the highest of any skin cancer treatment modality available.