Mohs micrographic surgery is considered the most effective technique for treating many basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) and squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs), the two most common types of skin cancer. The procedure is done in stages, including lab work, while the patient waits. This allows the removal of all cancerous cells for the highest cure rate while sparing healthy tissue and leaving the smallest possible scar.

It began as a technique in the late 1930s called chemosurgery, developed by Frederic E. Mohs, MD. It did not become widely known until the mid-1960s when the procedure advanced into what is now called Mohs micrographic surgery.