Red Deer Skin Cancer Surgery

Mohs Micrographic surgery, developed by Dr. Frederic E. Mohs, has the highest cure rates, 98 percent or higher, for Basal Cell Carcinoma and Squamous Cell Carcinoma (the two most common types of skin cancer), compared to other methods. Mohs surgery eliminates skin cancer cells, while also sparing the greatest amount of healthy tissue.

After having successfully completed his Board certification in Dermatology, Dr. Isaiah Day went on to become the first Canadian to complete a minimally invasive skin cancer surgery subspecialty training program at the prestigious St. John’s Institute of Dermatology in London, England. Innovation Dermatology is now Central Alberta’s only Mohs Micrographic surgery, non-hospital skin cancer treatment centre.

Mohs surgery can be used to treat a wide variety of skin cancers and is particularly useful for skin cancers that:

• Have a high risk of recurrence
• Have borders that are difficult to define
• Are located in areas that require as much healthy-tissue preservation as possible

For areas where cosmetic appearance and function are especially important, Mohs surgery allows for maximized aesthetic and functional outcome.

Under local anesthesia, Dr. Day will remove progressive layers of skin that contain cancer cells, which will then be examined under a microscope. This ‘cycle’ is repeated until healthy, cancer-free tissue around the tumors has been achieved. Once the surgical margins are free of cancer, the wound will be expertly closed.

You should plan to be at the clinic all day. Since the excised tissue is examined as part of the procedure, this can be a lengthy process, depending on how many layers need to be taken. With Mohs’s high success rate, most patients require only one procedure for a particular lesion.

In order to receive a consultation with our Dermatologic surgeon, we require a referral from a physician. With a referral, your visit is paid for by Alberta Healthcare. Mohs Micrographic surgery is an insured treatment in Alberta.