Surgical Skin Cancer Excision in South Loop Chicago

Q: What is the difference between standard excision and Mohs surgery?

Standard excision removes the skin cancer along with a planned margin of surrounding skin. The tissue then goes to a pathology lab, which examines sections from the outer and deep edges. Mohs surgery is a separate technique performed by a Mohs surgeon. The surgeon removes thin layers and maps and checks the complete outer and deep margin during the procedure itself. We perform standard excisions in-office and coordinate a Mohs referral when that approach is clinically preferred.

Q: How big will the scar be?

The treated area is usually larger than the spot you can see. Your provider removes the cancer plus a margin of normal-looking skin and may shape the closure to reduce tension. The final appearance depends on the size and location, the closure method, wound care, sun exposure, and your own healing tendencies. That includes any tendency toward keloids.

Q: What does clear margins mean?

Margin status describes whether cancer cells are seen at the outer or deep edges of the removed tissue. If no cancer cells are seen at the examined sections, the report calls the margins clear or negative. A clear result lowers concern for leftover cancer cells, but it does not make recurrence impossible. If cancer cells are present at a margin, more treatment may be recommended. That could mean another excision or a Mohs referral, depending on the cancer type, location, and risk features.

If a biopsy has confirmed a skin cancer, surgical excision is one way to remove it.

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ANESTHESIA: Local anesthesia; you stay awake
MOST OFTEN USED FOR: Biopsy-confirmed basal cell, squamous cell skin cancers, melanoma or abnormal moles that your provider considers appropriate for standard excision. Some skin cancers may be more appropriate for a type of surgery called Mohs, and we will refer you to a Mohs surgeon for the removal while still being part of your care plan
PATHOLOGY: Lab checks the outer and deep margins
DOWNTIME: A healing wound; varies by size and site
PAYMENT: Insurance when medically indicated

What Skin Cancer Excision Is

Surgical excision removes the biopsy site and any remaining skin cancer with a planned margin of normal-looking skin. The margin's width and depth depend on the cancer type, pathology, size, location, and risk features. For appropriate cancers, the procedure is done in-office under local anesthesia while you are awake.

Once removed, the tissue goes to a pathology lab, where sections from the outer and deep edges are checked for cancer cells. Your provider chooses the approach based on your biopsy findings and your skin.

Why It May Be Recommended

A biopsy has confirmed a skin cancer, such as a basal cell, squamous cell carcinoma, melanoma or an abnormal, precancerous mole that your provider considers appropriate for standard excision
The cancer is early or has lower-risk features and is limited to the skin
Removing the growth with a margin of normal-looking skin lets the pathology lab check the edges. That result helps guide whether more treatment is needed
A screening may identify a spot that needs a biopsy. Once the biopsy confirms a skin cancer, excision may be one of the recommended next steps

What Happens During Skin Cancer Excision

Your provider reviews your biopsy results and the surgical plan with you, then numbs the area with local anesthesia. The biopsy site and any remaining visible cancer are removed with a margin chosen for the cancer type, location, and risk features.

How the wound is closed depends on its size and location. Some wounds are closed with stitches and covered with a bandage. Some are allowed to heal on their own, and some need a repair your provider will discuss with you.

The removed tissue goes to a pathology lab, where the margins are checked. We reach out once we have reviewed the report and walk you through any next step.

Recovery & Safety

Wound-care instructions are reviewed with you at your visit. Keeping the area clean and protected supports healing.

As with any surgery, risks exist and vary with the wound's location, depth, and closure. They can include pain, bruising, bleeding, infection, delayed healing or wound separation, scar or pigment change, and temporary or occasionally lasting numbness. If the margins are involved or the cancer returns, more treatment may be needed.

Your provider reviews how to handle bleeding at your visit. Call us if the wound opens or stitches break, or if any of the following develop:

Worsening pain
Increasing swelling or warmth
Spreading redness
Pus-like or foul-smelling drainage
Fever
Bleeding that continues after 20 minutes of firm, uninterrupted pressure with clean gauze. Call right away for heavy or fast-soaking bleeding

Because excision removes skin and closes a wound, you should expect a scar. The final appearance depends on the size and location, the closure, wound care, sun exposure, and your own healing tendencies.

Color change after surgery can happen in any skin tone. In darker skin tones, post-inflammatory darkening may be more noticeable or longer lasting, and lightening can also occur. Sun protection after the area heals can help reduce discoloration and help the mark fade.

Keloids extend beyond the original wound, while hypertrophic scars stay within it. The risk of either raised scar is individualized and depends on your personal and family history and the body site.

After your pathology report is reviewed, we schedule suture removal, wound checks, or a healing visit on a timeline that is appropriate for your procedure and closure. We stay involved through healing, answering questions and checking your progress along the way.

After a skin cancer, ongoing skin checks are recommended, because your risk is higher for a new or recurrent spot.

Is This Right for Me?

Likely a good fit if you:

Have a biopsy-confirmed skin cancer your provider considers appropriate for standard excision. Your provider reviews the biopsy, location, and risk features first. That review also covers your medications and supplements (including blood thinners), immune status, wound-healing history, local-anesthetic allergies, and any scar or keloid tendency
Are able to care for a wound at home and return for follow-up

We may recommend a different path if:

Your cancer has higher-risk features. These can include recurrence, poorly defined borders, signs of deeper or nerve-tracking growth, aggressive findings on pathology, prior radiation, or a weakened immune system
Your cancer sits in a tissue-sensitive area where Mohs surgery may be preferred. These areas include the central face, eyelid, nose, ear, lip, scalp, hand, foot, and genital skin. Location alone does not decide the procedure; your provider weighs the pathology and risk features together
Your provider recommends Mohs micrographic surgery, which we coordinate with a fellowship-trained Mohs surgeon while staying involved in your dermatology care
A growth needs imaging or another specialist before treatment

Using Insurance?

Removing a biopsy-confirmed skin cancer is medical care and is typically billed to insurance when your plan's criteria are met. We participate with select plans; pathology is billed separately. Costs vary by plan.

We participate with select plans from insurers such as Aetna, Blue Cross and Blue Shield (PPO and Options), Cigna, Corvel, Humana, Imagine Health, Multiplan, The Alliance, TriWest Healthcare Alliance, United Healthcare, and Zelis. We also accept Medicare Part B and select Medicare Advantage plans. Participation varies by plan and network.

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Why patients choose us for Surgical Skin Cancer Excision in South Loop Chicago.

01 Physician-led

Dermatologist-Led Care.

Every treatment performed or supervised by a board-certified dermatologist — Dr. Monica Rani, MD (Medical Director) and Dr. Stavonnie Patterson, MD — or Sydney Freedman, PA-C.

02 Skin of Color