@gingerw @sef26
The tight skin is a bummer for me as a aging senior. However the skin will stretch. Probably why they did stitches on my hand and did not do on my nose or other areas.

What is important is that skin will stretch. If I had not had another SCC on same hand discovered after the first MOHS surgery would not have been a problem. But I got a double whammy with two on the same hand. The second MOHS was about 1.5 inches from first SCC so was not part of original SCC. If I had not been monitoring my first surgical site would not even have noticed the spot.

When I had my first MOHS on left hand there was a plastic surgeon there. The MOHS surgeon and plastic surgeon were there to discuss best way to close the incision.

I see the Mentor had mentioned skin graft after MOHS.

My MOHS surgeon discussed differences in SCCs. The in su tru (Spell) means the cancer was spreading out horizontally. The well differentiated meant was growing downward. I had one SCC on back of elbow that was in su tru and they removed it regular surgery. The ones on my hand were the well differentiated and thus the MOHS. I hope I got that right but what I was posting was the SCC can grow outward or downward.

@gingerw the post about golf size hole seems strange to know would be that big unless the biopsy was already very wide and deep and SCC still remained.

Without MOHS is really hard to see how far the cancer has grown outward or downward. That is determined when they remove the margins around the biopsy site then view after removal to see if cancer is still present beyond what was removed.

Your biopsy must have showed you had SCC beyond where the margins were taken when skin was removed for biopsy. I pass this along as by now have had about 10 skin cancers removed.

Mayo Jacksonville dermatology did offer me several ways to treat the cancer. I discussed those options with them and both the dermatologist and I decided on MOHS. Why? Because you will not leave table until the SCC is gone and no signs of it remain. With other methods especially radiation you are damaging and killing the cancer cells not removing them. I hope you can see the differences.

I am looking at my left hand now 1.5 months after first surgery and 3 weeks after second. The first surgery is completely healed and don't see a scar just some rough skin. The second surgery is still healing in one area but I don't see a scar on the other areas already healed. There is a slight line on my skin but unless I knew I had SCC MOHS surgery would not even have seen it with the age of my skin and all my discoloration with age.

For me MOHS meant cancer gone. There was no pain at all during surgery. What is the discomfort is that Lanacane (spell) put in to numb the areas. The shots are like a bee sting but does not last. But you feel nothing during surgery. At least for skin surgeries. The other only negative is the wait after they remove the skin (about 1 minute for actually surgery) and go back to pathology on it to make sure non SCC remains in or around the surgery site. That takes 30 minutes as they use dyes and pathological microscopes to analysis.