Mohs surgery nose

Hi Julie T1 and a very warm welcome to the online community

I'm sorry to read that you were diagnosed with a BCC on your nose but that's great news that you are completely happy with the result after Mohs' surgery.

Thanks for offering to answer anyone's questions about Mohs' surgery and I'm sure that'll be very useful in the future.

It would be great if you could pop something about your diagnosis and treatment so far into your profile as it really helps others when answering or looking for someone with a similar pathway. It also means that you don't have to keep repeating yourself. To do this click on your username and then select 'Profile'. You can amend it at any time and if you're not sure what to write you can take a look at mine by clicking on my username.

x

Hi Julie,

I've recently being diagnosed with nodular BCC on my nose and my one follow-up consultation with the dermatologist who did it has left me with lots of questions. I know what Moh's is (thanks to Google!) and was asking if I could have it on the NHS but the dermatologist was non-committal about it and kept pushing me down the route of having a "normal" surgical excision. This requires wider margins (up to 6mm) and has a lower success rate than Moh's (80% vs. 99%) so would prefer Moh's if possible as it might not involve removing half my nose unlike the standard surgery!

If I go private I'm not sure how I go about finding out who's any good (what qualifications they require, professional memberships etc). Did you look into this before you had yours done and if so can you provide any advice? Also which clinic did you use and how much did it cost? I've heard costs between £1k and £5k for private Moh's so that's quite a range!

Thanks In Advance. :-)

Richard

Dear Rich

Sorry to hear you have been diagnosed with a BCC - I understand what you are going through.

I found several dermatologists with additional training in Mohs and after hours of internet searching I decided to go with Dr Arif Aslam in Discover Laser. It was a great decision, he is gentle and thorough.

Happy to answer any questions you might have.

x J x

I had a bcc removed from the tip of my nose some years ago at the local hospital I actually paid privately because they were taking so long to call me, they removed it using the normal method using wide margins, the result I thought was not good. I then met two people who had had their  bccs re moved by MOHs surgery, the difference was incredible you could hardly notice they had had any surgery. When I got another one on my nose I asked to be referred to Cardiff where they did the MOHs surgery and the results were much better. I had it done on the nhs, but I would have paid to have it done privately. I now think I have two more on my cheek, but I am going to ask my doctor if he can refer me privately to Cardiff, because our nhs now comes under a different area, and I can’t be referred under the nhs. It is worth finding out which is your nearest hospital that does the MOHs, good luck.

Hi Julie, thanks for the reply. Did you require reconstructive surgery and if so did you have it at the same clinic as the Moh's and on the same day? Also did you pay for it and how much was the cost? I'm trying to get an idea of what's normal and have so far been told £3-5k is pretty standard. Thanks! :)

Hi Julie thanks for the reply. Did you have the Moh's and reconstructive surgery in the same clinic and on the same day? I've found some clinics nearer to where I live but they can only do the Moh's part there, I'd have to go to a different location the day after to have the reconstructive surgery. I'd much rather have the whole procedure done in one place and on the same day if possible! Thanks :)

I had the MOHs surgery, at the same clinic they did everything, I had a pedicle on my cheek, I went back for a few weeks running for them to change the dressing, they then put it into my nose and stitched it, and I went back to have the stitches out, and it healed quite quickly, but perhaps you could find somewhere to do it all at the same place, mine was done in Cardiff, at my local hospital they don’t do the MOHs surgery.

Hello Rich.

Yes my procedure was completed in the same day in the one place. I was very pleased.

I was diagnosed with a BCC early 2019 which was in the corner of my eye but this was while I was undergoing tests which resulted in a stage 4 melanoma diagnosis. After treatment for my melanoma I asked to be referred back to dermatology and I eventually had it removed using MOHS on the NHS February this year. They hoped to do the removal and reconstruction in one day but couldn’t get a theatre slot so had to go back on the Monday.