Spotlight: Skin cancer specialist Ian Maher, MD, on sun safety in Minnesota

Skin cancer specialist Ian A. Maher, MD, has a lifelong love of soccer – he played through college before attending medical school and becoming a dermatologic surgeon.

Now, he specializes in treating skin cancer through Mohs surgery, a precise procedure that removes thin layers of cancerous tissue. Maher sees patients at M Health Fairview Dermatologic Surgery Clinic – Minneapolis and M Health Fairview Clinic – Maple Grove. He is also a professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School.

While Maher treats cancer in clinic, he’s an advocate for prevention in the community – especially in youth sports through his Sun Safe Soccer initiative. We sat down with him to learn more, including what Minnesotans should know about sun safety during Skin Cancer Awareness Month.

What is Mohs surgery and how is it used to treat skin cancer?

Mohs surgery is a highly effective treatment for skin cancer, particularly  the two most common types of skin cancer: basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas. It involves removing layers of cancerous tissue to minimize scarring and damage to the surrounding healthy tissue and is done under local anesthesia, which means it can be done outside a hospital setting.

We’re able to process tissue in our lab during surgery to check all edges of the removed tissue under a microscope and ensure we’ve completely removed the cancer.  This also allows us to remove as little normal tissue as possible, thus minimizing scarring. M Health Fairview also has a strong program in immunostaining for Mohs, allowing us to better identify cancerous cells in the surrounding tissue when treating higher-risk tumors.