Mohs surgery is completed to remove cancerous lesions from the skin. Fortunately, the surgery can often be completed right in your dermatologist's office. Procedures are fairly pain-free and completed on a routine basis. However, you will need to do some things to prepare for your appointment.
Eat A Filling Breakfast
Unlike other surgical procedures that require you to skip meals and snacks for 12 hours or more, you will be encouraged to eat before your Mohs procedure. Local anesthetics are used beforehand to numb the area, so you will be awake the entire time. This means that you will not experience any complications due to eating. And, a single Mohs procedure can take a long time, so you don't want to be hungry during the process.
Once a layer of skin is removed, your doctor will need to examine it under a microscope. This can take up to 30 minutes each time a new layer is removed. So, depending on the extent or spread of the abnormal cellular structure, you may be waiting for several hours. You will not be able to eat during the procedure, so you want to eat a larger meal beforehand. Eat some filling eggs or oatmeal for breakfast and also think about adding some peanut butter to a few pieces of toast.
If you typically drink coffee in the morning, you may want to skip this. You can get up to use the bathroom, but you do not want to continuously use the restroom and interrupt the procedure.
Bring Something To Do
When your dermatologist inspects each skin sample, you will be left in the examination room. You will be asked to bring a companion with you to bring you to and from the appointment, and this individual can join you while you wait. However, since you will be spending many hours in the procedure room, you should think about bringing some things to keep you occupied as well. Activities that allow you to remain still and quiet are the best.
Bring a book or several magazines with you and make sure that your phone is charged so you can play games, text, read the news, or listen to music. While you may be able to talk on the phone, keep in mind that you will need to keep the phone away from your face if the surgical area is close to your ear. For this reason, it may be wise to use your speaker instead.
If you want to know more about Mohs surgery and what you can do to make the process an easy one, speak with your dermatologist.
Did you know that dermatologists can do more than simply prescribe creams and washes? In addition to being skincare experts, they often carry out procedures like skin grafts, laser hair removal, and Botox injections. They are truly experts on all things skin-related, and therefore the dermatologist's office is the place you should go if you have any concerns about your own skin.
You can also ease your concerns by reading here. This website is not a substitute for dermatology care, but it is a good place to learn more about this field of medicine and the wonderful treatments it has to offer.