Will there be a scar from my Mohs surgery?

Yes. Any treatment for skin cancer will leave a scar.

Mohs surgery preserves as much normal skin as possible and maximizes options for repairing the area where the skin cancer had been. Once the Mohs College surgeon has completely removed your skin cancer, optimizing the final cosmetic result of your surgery becomes our highest priority. Generally, a post-surgical scar improves with time and can take up to one year or more to fully mature. As your surgical site heals, new blood vessels can appear and support the healing changes occurring underneath the skin. This can result in the reddish appearance of the scar. This change is temporary and will improve with time.

In addition, the normal healing process involves a period of skin contraction, which often peaks 4-6 weeks after the surgery. This may appear as a bumpiness or hardening of the scar. On the face, this change is nearly always temporary and the scar will soften and improve with time. If you have a history of abnormal scarring, such as hypertrophic scars or keloids, or if there are problems with the healing of your scar, injections or other treatments may be used to optimize the cosmetic result. Your Mohs College surgeon is available for you throughout the healing process to discuss any concerns that may arise.

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