Case 1
78-year-old female with a basal cell carcinoma on the right cheek. Cleared in 1 stage of Mohs. Reconstruction with a linear repair using all-absorbable sutures. No visible scar at 6 months after surgery.
Real Results
Mohs surgery case photos
23 real cases performed by Sarah Wilson, MD, fellowship-trained Mohs surgeon, from the first visit through the healed result. Every patient gave signed permission to share their photos.
A heads-up before you scroll: some photos show the surgical opening after the cancer was removed, before repair. We include them because patients ask us honest questions ("how big will it be?") and honest photos answer better than words. Individual results vary; healing depends on the site, the repair, and the person.
Real surgical photography ahead
These are unretouched photos from actual Mohs surgeries, including the open surgical site after cancer removal and stitches during healing. They're medical, not gory. If you'd rather not see mid-surgery photos, the Mohs overview shows only before-and-healed comparisons.
Case 2
66-year-old male with a basal cell carcinoma involving his cheek and nose. Required 4 stages of Mohs. Repaired with a combination cheek advancement flap and full-thickness skin graft using all-absorbable sutures. No visible scar at 6 weeks after surgery.
Case 3
52-year-old male with a basal cell carcinoma on the right upper lip. Cleared in 2 stages of Mohs. Reconstruction with a V-to-Y advancement flap using all-absorbable sutures. No visible scar at 6 months after surgery.
Case 4
92-year-old female with a squamous cell carcinoma on the left cheek. Cleared in 1 stage of Mohs. Reconstruction with a linear repair using all-absorbable sutures. No visible scar at 1 year after surgery.
Case 5
82-year-old male with a basal cell carcinoma on the nasal supratip. Cleared in 1 stage of Mohs. Repaired with a trilobe transposition flap using all-absorbable sutures. No visible scar at 5 weeks after surgery.
Case 6
83-year-old male with a squamous cell carcinoma on the right forehead. Cleared in 2 stages of Mohs. Repaired with an advancement flap using all-absorbable sutures. No visible scar at 4 weeks after surgery.
Case 7
83-year-old male with a squamous cell carcinoma on the nose. Cleared in 2 stages of Mohs. Repaired with a dorsal nasal rotation flap using all-absorbable sutures. No visible scar line at 7 weeks after surgery.
Case 8
52-year-old male with two infiltrative basal cell carcinomas on the left forearm, treated on the same day with Mohs; each site cleared in 1 stage. Repaired with a combined linear closure using all-absorbable sutures. No visible scar line at 5 months after surgery.
Case 9
64-year-old female with a basal cell carcinoma on the nasal sidewall. Cleared in 2 stages of Mohs. Reconstructed with a bilobed transposition flap using all-absorbable sutures. No visible scar line at 4 months after surgery.
Case 10
85-year-old female with a squamous cell carcinoma on the nose. Treated with Mohs, cleared in 2 stages. Repaired with a V-to-Y advancement flap using all-absorbable sutures. No visible scar line at 2 months after surgery.
Case 11
79-year-old male with an infiltrative basal cell carcinoma on the nose. Cleared in 3 stages of Mohs. Reconstruction with a cheek advancement flap using all-absorbable sutures. No visible scar at 1 year after surgery.
Case 12
79-year-old male with an infiltrative basal cell carcinoma on the right cheek. Cleared in 1 stage of Mohs. Reconstruction with a linear repair using all-absorbable sutures. No visible scar at 1 year after surgery.
Case 13
79-year-old male with a basal cell carcinoma on the right cheek. Cleared in 3 stages of Mohs. Reconstruction with a linear repair using all-absorbable sutures. No visible scar at 1 year after surgery.
Case 14
80-year-old female with a squamous cell carcinoma on the back of the left hand. Required 2 stages of Mohs. Repaired with a rotation flap using all-absorbable sutures. No visible scar at 6 months after surgery.
Case 15
66-year-old male with a basal cell carcinoma on the nasal dorsum. Required 1 stage of Mohs. Repaired with a V-to-Y advancement flap using all-absorbable sutures. No visible scar at 1 year after surgery.
Case 16
52-year-old male with a basal cell carcinoma on the left ear and sideburn. Cleared with 3 stages of Mohs. Repaired with a transposition flap using all-absorbable sutures. No visible scar line at 2 months after surgery.
Case 17
81-year-old male with an infiltrative basal cell carcinoma on the nose. Treated with Mohs, cleared in 2 stages. Repaired with a bilobed transposition flap using all-absorbable sutures. No visible scar line at 4 months after surgery.
Case 18
81-year-old male with two basal cell carcinomas on the nose, treated on the same day with Mohs - one site cleared in 2 stages, one in 3. The defect involved the alar rim (the rim of the nostril). Repaired with a bilobed transposition flap and a melolabial transposition flap using all-absorbable sutures. No visible scar line at 2 months after surgery.
Case 19
80-year-old male with a basal cell carcinoma on the right cheek. Cleared in 1 stage of Mohs. Repaired with a linear closure using all-absorbable sutures. No visible scar at 12 months after surgery.
Case 20
80-year-old male with a basosquamous carcinoma on the right temple. Cleared in 1 stage of Mohs. Repaired with an advancement flap using all-absorbable sutures. No visible scar at 12 months after surgery.
Case 21
72-year-old male with a squamous cell carcinoma on the right scalp. Cleared in 1 stage of Mohs. Repaired with an advancement flap using all-absorbable sutures. No visible scar at 1 year after surgery.
Case 22
79-year-old female with a squamous cell carcinoma on the right cheek. Cleared in 1 stage of Mohs. Repaired with a linear closure using all-absorbable sutures. No visible scar at 3 months after surgery.
Case 23
84-year-old male with a basal cell carcinoma on the nose. Treated with Mohs, cleared in 2 stages. Repaired with a full-thickness skin graft using all-absorbable sutures. No visible scar line at 12 months after surgery.
Captions describe each patient's actual course, including how their scar looked at their last photographed visit. They are records of individual cases, not a promise of any particular result.
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