This 32 year-old female was referred by her Simi Valley physician for Mohs micrographic surgery of a basal cell carcinoma on the left upper lip. The patient reported that the lesion had been present for more than 10 years and had been treated several times previously by another physician.

The skin cancer was removed by Mohs micrographic surgery in a four-stage procedure that traced out the roots of the basal cell carcinoma while preserving the surrounding healthy tissue. Following removal of the skin cancer the wound measured 1.3 x 1.0 cm. The wound was closed in a side-to-side (complex) in which the incision was lengthened so that the final healed incision line would be flat and avoid protrusion of soft tissue. Immediately after the repair, there is a normal amount of swelling and distortion for surgery performed on the lip. The patient was very happy and relieved with the final healed result, which maintained the fullness and symmetry to her lips and avoided distortion of her lips.