The American Board of Dermatology now offers board certification in Micrographic Dermatologic Surgery — setting a rigorous, uniform standard of excellence for patients and surgeons alike.
For patients facing skin cancer surgery, knowing your surgeon holds a rigorous, standardized certification isn't a luxury — it's essential. Board certification in Micrographic Dermatologic Surgery (MDS) is that standard.
The ABMS is the gold-standard umbrella organization overseeing physician certification in the United States. Member boards — including the American Board of Dermatology — must meet strict criteria for how they develop, administer, and maintain their exams. ABMS certification is the recognized benchmark of physician competency nationwide.
The ABD has set the standard for dermatologic competency for over a century. Its new subspecialty certification in Micrographic Dermatologic Surgery applies that same rigorous framework to Mohs surgery — ensuring that surgeons who earn this credential have demonstrated mastery of both the surgical and pathological demands of the procedure.
Unlike informal credentials, ABD board certification requires passing a comprehensive, standardized examination — not simply completing a training program. This means patients can trust that their surgeon's skills have been objectively verified by an independent, nationally recognized body, regardless of where they trained.
The MDS board exam is not a single-skill test. It spans the complete clinical and technical demands of Mohs micrographic surgery — from cancer diagnosis to tissue reconstruction.
Dermatopathology & tumor identification under the microscope
Surgical technique, tissue processing, and margin control
Complex wound repair, flaps, and reconstructive surgery
Skin cancer biology, staging, and oncologic principles
Anesthesia, sterile technique, and perioperative safety
Medical ethics, documentation, and patient-centered care
This breadth ensures that board-certified MDS surgeons can not only remove tumors precisely, but also interpret their own tissue slides and manage the full range of surgical outcomes — a rare and essential combination of skills.
Across medicine, patients and institutions rely on board certification to identify qualified surgeons. Mohs surgery now has that same rigorous, verifiable standard.
Skin cancer surgery on the face, scalp, and hands demands precision. Without verified, standardized training, patients and physicians both bear unnecessary risk.
The ABMS provides a free, public tool to verify any physician's board certification status. Before your procedure, take one minute to confirm your surgeon holds ABD certification in Micrographic Dermatologic Surgery.
🔍 Verify Board Certification — ABMS CertificationMatters.orgFree public resource. No account required. Maintained by the American Board of Medical Specialties.
Mohs micrographic surgery is a precise surgical technique for removing skin cancer — most commonly basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma — in thin layers. After each layer is removed, the surgeon immediately examines it under a microscope to check for remaining cancer cells. This process continues until all margins are clear, maximizing the cure rate while preserving as much healthy tissue as possible.
The American Board of Dermatology (ABD) now offers a subspecialty certification in Micrographic Dermatologic Surgery (MDS) — the formal name for Mohs surgery practice at its full scope. To earn this credential, a dermatologist must pass a rigorous, comprehensive examination covering surgical technique, dermatopathology, and reconstructive surgery. This certification is recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), the gold-standard oversight body for physician certification in the United States.
Visit CertificationMatters.org, the free public verification tool maintained by the ABMS. Search for your physician by name to confirm they hold board certification — including in Micrographic Dermatologic Surgery specifically.
Absolutely. Asking whether your surgeon is board certified in Micrographic Dermatologic Surgery by the ABD is a reasonable, appropriate question — just as you would ask a cardiac surgeon or orthopedic specialist about their credentials. A qualified, board-certified surgeon will be glad to confirm this.
Mohs surgery is unique in that the operating surgeon must also function as the pathologist, reading their own tissue sections in real time under a microscope. This dual demand — surgical precision plus pathologic expertise — makes rigorous, standardized certification especially important. Board certification ensures that a surgeon's competency in both skill sets has been independently verified.