Services                                         

How do I make an appointment for surgery?

Once you or your physician have contacted us, your appointment for surgery will be scheduled for early in the morning, and we will advise you as to what time you need to arrive (usually around 7:30am.)  We will send a packet of information to you including information about Mohs surgery, plus some forms that you will need to complete and return to us.  A day or two prior to your surgery, one of our clinical staff members will call you to discuss any questions that you may have.

What happens the day of surgery?

When you arrive for your appointment, you will be greeted by someone in our front office team, and he/she will verify that we have all necessary paperwork completed.  You may also be asked to sign some additional consent and privacy forms.

During this brief time, you will be invited to sit in a comfortable waiting area where you may enjoy some coffee and cookies.  You will then be escorted into a procedure room where one of our clinical staff members will discuss your health history with you, and answer any questions you may have about the procedure.

How long should I expect to be at the office and surgery center?

Dr. Parker will also meet with you to discuss your treatment options, and he will perform an examination.  Once you are in agreement that Mohs surgery is the best option, the skin cancer and the surrounding area will be numbed with a local anesthetic.  Once it is numb, the visible cancer and a thin layer of tissue will be removed. This tissue is carefully mapped and coded by Dr. Parker, and is taken to our laboratory where the technician will immediately process the microscope slides.

You will have a temporary dressing placed over the area, and you will be escorted to one of the surgical waiting rooms.  The surgical procedure takes approximately 20 minutes; however, it takes a minimum of 1 hour to prepare and microscopically examine the tissues. Several surgical stages and microscopic examinations may be required, and you will need to stay in the surgical waiting area between stages.  Although there is no way to tell before the surgery how many stages will be necessary, most cancers are removed in three stages or less.  Most patients are here between 2-6 hours.  The repair stage of the surgery usually will begin late morning or early afternoon in an operating room in the adjacent ADS Ambulatory Surgery Center.

Will the surgery leave a scar?

In some instances, allowing the area to heal by itself without surgical reconstruction is the best option, because in some anatomic locations natural wound healing results in a better cosmetic outcome than by surgical intervention.  Often, the tissue-sparing benefits of Mohs surgery allow removal of the skin cancer with a resultant wound so superficial that there is no need for further repair.  If the area is allowed to heal by itself, it will usually heal within 3 to 8 weeks, depending upon the size, depth, and location of the wound.  Patients, and their companion at the appointment, will be given oral and written instructions on daily wound care in order to  prevent infection and to promote healing.  Follow-up appointments with our clinical staff will be scheduled to monitor the healing process. 

Dr. Parker has undergone extensive training in the area of reconstruction after Mohs surgery, and has gained expertise in repairs, particularly those in the facial areas.  Depending upon the size, depth, and location of the removed skin cancer, he may choose to repair the wound with stitches, staples, a graft or flap, in order to provide the best cosmetic result.   Patients, and their companion at the appointment, will be given oral and written instructions on daily wound care in order to prevent infection and to promote healing.  Follow-up appointments with our clinical staff or Dr. Parker will be scheduled to remove the stitches or staples, and to monitor the healing process.