BACKGROUND: Patients undergoing Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) are given detailed wound care instructions to prevent postoperative complications. Previous studies have revealed low treatment adherence in general dermatology, but adherence to postoperative wound care and its potential association with poor surgical outcomes remain largely unstudied. OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency and causes of wound care nonadherence in patients who underwent MMS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A questionnaire containing a modified Eight-Item Morisky Medication Adherence Measure Scale was administered to Mohs patients at their 1 to 2 weeks postoperative visit. RESULTS: Sixty-three patients were solicited and consented to completing the questionnaire. The average modified Eight-Item Morisky Medication Adherence Measure Scale score was 7.4 of 8, indicating high adherence. Old age and wound care assistance were associated with increased adherence. Factors contributing to nonadherence included feeling well, being too busy, wound care causing discomfort, and being with friends or family. One patient (1.6%) with high adherence developed an epidermal inclusion cyst within the scar. No other complications were observed. CONCLUSION: Most MMS patients demonstrated high adherence to wound care instructions, and nonadherence was not associated with postoperative complications.

How patient and tumor factors influence clearance margins and the number of Mohs Micrographic Surgery (MMS) stages when treating basal cell carcinoma (BCC) remains widely uncharacterized. It is important to elucidate these relationships, as surgical outcomes may be compared nationally between colleagues. Our objective is to evaluate the relationships between defect size and patient demographics, as well as between BCC subtypes and the number of MMS stages. Our second objective is to compare practice patterns and characteristics of patients requiring MMS at academic centers and private practices. A retrospective chart review was performed using data collected at academic centers (2015–2018) and private practices (2011–2018) of BCC patients older than 18 years old who underwent MMS. In total, 7651 patients with BCC requiring MMS were identified. Academic center adjusted analyses demonstrated clearance margins 0.1 mm higher for every year’s increase in age (p < 0.0001) and 0.25 increase in MMS stages for high-risk BCC (p < 0.0001). Private practice adjusted analyses demonstrated clearance margins 0.04 mm higher for every year’s increase in age (p < 0.0001). Clearance margins correlate with older age, and additional MMS stages correlate with high-risk BCC, suggesting the role patient and tumor factors may play in predicting tumor clearance and MMS stages.