Mohs Surgery | Ruby Memorial Hospital

Overview
Providers

WVU Medicine Dermatology offers patients one of the most advanced and effective treatments for skin cancer – Mohs surgery. This procedure has the lowest recurrence rates, highest cure rates, and best cosmetic results of any skin cancer treatment, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.

Performed as a single-visit outpatient procedure using local anesthesia, Mohs surgery is a microscopically-guided, layer-by-layer removal of skin that contains cancer cells. Your Mohs surgeon removes any possible tumors beneath cancerous cells, while preserving surrounding normal tissue and minimizing scarring.

Standard skin cancer surgeries remove both cancerous cells and healthy cells at the same time. Mohs surgery is an improvement on traditional surgery by combining surgical removal of the affected skin with microscopic analysis of tissue. Your Mohs surgeon is also able to verify that all cancer cells have been removed at the time of surgery.

Conditions We Treat

WVU Medicine fellowship-trained Mohs surgeon Vlad Codrea, MD, PhD, specializes in dermatology, pathology, and reconstructive surgery, and uses Mohs surgery to treat a variety of common and less common skin cancers. Mohs surgery is especially useful for basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, as well as cancer tumors that:

Are located in cosmetically sensitive areas, such as around the eyes, ears, lips, nose, fingers, scalp, toes, and genitals
Have a high risk of recurrence or have recurred after previous treatments
Have edges that are hard to define
Are large or growing quickly

Treatments and Services

Our board-certified Mohs surgeon is experienced at treating high-risk and complex tumors, wound healing, and performing complicated, multi-step reconstructive surgeries. In addition to Mohs surgery, Dr. Codrea offers the following services:

Cutaneous oncology
Skin cancer detection
Skin cancer treatment
Surgical excisions
Surgical reconstruction

Post-operative Wound Care after Mohs Surgery

Wondering what to expect after Mohs skin cancer surgery? Learn about post-operative care in this brief video from the American College of Mohs Surgery.