Skin cancer treatment
Skin cancer is very common, especially on areas of your body exposed to the sun. While some skin cancers can be serious, most are highly curable when diagnosed and treated early.
Our dermatologists provide a careful examination of your skin, with a diagnosis of any troubling spots. Then, if necessary, you receive treatment for any basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, or melanoma.
Why Mohs?
Mohs micrographic surgery is the most effective treatment for the complete removal of the two most common types of skin cancer: basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas. It offers you with minimal disruption of healthy tissue, which means faster healing than other techniques and the smallest scar possible.
Mohs surgery expertise, close to home
We offer Mohs surgery as an outpatient service in our downtown Keene office. This procedure offers the highest cure rate of any treatment for the most common skin cancers. Dr. Guardiano specializes in Mohs micrographic surgery and has performed thousands of successful procedures.
What to expect
Please plan for the process to take from two to six hours. We use local anesthesia so you are not disoriented and many patients are able to go about their day afterward.
Depending on the location of the cancer on your body, you may be able to wear street clothes or you may need to change into a gown for the treatment. Please keep in mind this is a sterile procedure.
First, your doctor removes the top layer of skin in the suspected area and looks at it under a microscope. Your wound is temporarily bandaged and you can relax while we do the lab work to see if any cancer cells remain. If an examination of the tissue reveals more cancer cells, your doctor repeats the process until no more of those cells can be seen.
After removal of the skin cancer, in most cases, your doctor can surgically repair the remaining tissue to restore a normal appearance.