Dermatologist Questions Dermatologist

Is Mohs surgery painful?

I am a 47 year old male who needs to have some skin removed on my face. Is Mohs surgery painful?

5 Answers

DermatologistDermatologist
The area to be removed will be anesthetized prior to the start of any procedure. Mohs surgery is the most accurate way to remove malignant tissue. There are some longer-acting local anesthetics that can be used to keep pain to a minimum.
Mohs surgery is done under local anesthesia (numbing) injection just as simple biopsies are. Pain after the procedure is typically managed with ibuprofen (Advil) and acetaminophen (Tylenol) depending on the size and location of the surgery.
The only thing that hurts is the initial numbing; after that, you should do very well.

Stephen Schleicher
Skin cancer surgery like Mohs involves anesthetizing the skin with local anesthesia. This means using several needles to infiltrate the skin with anesthetic like lidocaine. There is some minor pain from the injections and the sting of the lidocaine, but generally this is quite tolerable. Post surgical pain (like when the anesthesia wears off, generally can be treated with ibuprofen or Tylenol.
It is and should be minimally painful especially during the initial numbing. During this period A small needle is inserted with numbing agent into the skin. For more information please make an appointment with your dermatologist.