I wonder if anyone can give me some information about "Moh's surgery" in regards to the removal of basal cell carcinomas please?

I know I can get it from any search engine, but I remember back to when I had an infiltrating basal cell carcinoma excised from my own nose in January, and one or two members mentioned this type of surgery to me.

Unfortunately I can't find it now in the search menu, but it's that personal information that I'm after because I now have a letter from a friend asking for any information she can get about Moh's surgery, so any information would be gratefully received. Here is part of the letter that she sent me:

.....I am scheduled for something called mohs surgery for my nose on October 23rd. This is a new procedure where they take layer by layer off and examine the cells in the office with pathologists until they get to the end of it. I am teriffied. I cried all morning. That surgery is supposed to last 2 - 4 hours and I am not thrilled at being awake the whole time.....

As you can see, part of the writer's concern is that she might be awake for the whole thing, and if so.....would the procedure be painful?

When I had the cancer removed from my own nose and my nose fully rebuilt, it was done under a heavy sedative and I don't remember a thing about it. For me, they used a drug called called Midazolam (Hypnoval) but I can't remember the name that America knows the same drug as....but it's the one used for colonoscopies and other short procedures.

If anyone has had this operation themselves or has some information about it I'd be very grateful, also can you please let me know what type of sedation or anesthesia was used, and if it was painful at all. Thank you.