The 3 Things to Buy Before Mohs Surgery

Mohs is skin-cancer surgery, most often on the face — and for most people, the hardest part of the day is the waiting, not the shopping.

Reviewed by Erin Rose — healthcare price-transparency analyst. Last checked .

Roughly 9,500 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with skin cancer every day — a figure the American Academy of Dermatology and Dartmouth-Hitchcock's own Mohs handbook independently confirm — and Mohs surgery cures up to 99% of primary tumors, per the American College of Mohs Surgery (ACMS). What it doesn't do is fit a normal appointment slot: most cases need one to three passes of tissue removal and microscope review, so the honest answer to “what should I buy” starts with “not much.” One thing almost everyone wants on day one — a small ice pack — plus two that depend on your situation: a head-elevation wedge if your surgery is on your head, face, or neck, and silicone scar tape once the incision has sealed, days later. Plan on as little as $6.98 if the ice pack is all you need, up to about $92 for all three, as of August 2026 (always check current prices on Amazon).

Every fact here comes from six hospital, academic, and professional-society sources — ACMS, Memorial Sloan Kettering, UCLA Dermatology, Dartmouth-Hitchcock, University of Mississippi Medical Center, and Northwell Health — not a surgeon's marketing blog. how we choose →

What the day actually looks like

This is the part almost nobody else tells you plainly, and it's the reason this page exists: four independent hospital and academic sources — not one, four — describe the exact same reality.

The fact

Mohs surgery can take anywhere from about one hour to ten or more, with most cases finishing in approximately four hours — and there's no way to know in advance which it will be.

ACMS, the professional society for Mohs surgeons, puts it plainly to its own patients: “Play it safe and clear your schedule on surgery day.” The reason: your surgeon examines each layer of removed tissue under a microscope before deciding whether another pass is needed, and that lab step can't be rushed or predicted.

Source: Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Mohs Micrographic Surgery Patient Handbook; American College of Mohs Surgery, Post-Operative Care

  • Clear your entire day. Don't schedule anything after, and don't expect a fixed end time — UCLA's own instructions: “we cannot predict exactly how long you will be here.”
  • Pack your own food. Eat breakfast beforehand, and bring snacks or lunch. Memorial Sloan Kettering tells patients there's a refrigerator on-site to store it, if needed.
  • Bring something to occupy the wait. A book or reading material — UCLA and Dartmouth-Hitchcock both name this specifically.
  • Bring a companion, and arrange a driver. Especially for surgery around the eyes, hands, or feet, where post-op swelling or bandages can affect vision — UCLA's own reasoning.
  • Wear comfortable, loose, front-opening clothing you don't mind getting a little soiled — Dartmouth-Hitchcock's own suggestion, and something almost everyone already owns.

“Be prepared for significant ‘down time’ during surgery when your surgeon is in the nearby laboratory examining the tissue under the microscope. You will be expected to stay in the immediate surgical area/waiting room for safety reasons. Bring something to do. Bring a companion.”

— Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Mohs Micrographic Surgery Patient Handbook

None of this needs a new purchase — a book, snacks from your own kitchen, a phone. A portable charger comes up constantly on surgeon-practice blogs for this exact scenario, but no hospital or academic source in this research names it specifically, so it's not on this checklist as a hospital-backed pick — bring one if you want, just know it's common sense, not a citation.

The 3 things worth buying

One universal, two that depend on your situation and your timing — see each card's own note.

GGSTDDUP Reusable Ice Packs for Injuries, 10 Pack Round Ice Packs for Face, Gel Ice Pads

Because the site can be almost anywhere — nose, ear, cheek, temple, scalp, hand — and this is the one thing every hospital source in this research names for the first day, wherever yours is.

The ice pack — day one, for everyone

GGSTDDUP Reusable Ice Packs for Injuries, 10 Pack Round Ice Packs for Face, Gel Ice Pads

Small enough to hold against one incision site anywhere on the face, ear, scalp, or hand — a fresh pack from the 10-pack means you're never waiting on one to refreeze.

  • University of Mississippi Medical Center: "You may apply an ice pack around the wound, if necessary, for 20 minutes three or four times during the first 24 hours."
  • The listing's own title names "After Surgery, Face" use directly — built for a small, single site, not a bilateral wisdom-teeth wrap or an oversized mobility-hub gel pack.
  • Ten packs in the set, so one is always frozen and ready for the 20-minutes-on, several-times-a-day window UMMC describes.

The count: Neither of this site's two existing cold-therapy files fit a Mohs site: one is a bilateral jaw wrap built for wisdom-teeth swelling covering both cheeks, the other a postpartum-contoured pad. This is a new, shape-agnostic category built specifically for a wound that could be almost anywhere on the body.

One flaw (not a dealbreaker): Round and semi-rigid — if your site is somewhere the shape doesn't sit well, the flexible alt below molds a bit more.

See the GGSTDDUP Reusable Ice Packs for Injuries, 10 Pack Round Ice Packs for Face, Gel Ice Pads on Amazon →

Also good, more flexible: ICEWRAPS 3x3in gel pack, 6-pack ($16.99) →

Bekweim Adjustable-Height Bed Wedge Pillow, 12 Inch

Because two independent hospital sources give the same instruction for facial and head sites: sleep with your head elevated, and the swelling comes down easier.

The head-elevation wedge — head, face, or neck sites only

Bekweim Adjustable-Height Bed Wedge Pillow, 12 Inch

A steady incline for sleeping — skip it if your surgery site is on an arm, hand, leg, or foot instead.

  • University of Mississippi Medical Center: "If your surgery was involving your head or face, you should sleep with you head elevated on two pillows."
  • Dartmouth-Hitchcock's own handbook gives near-identical guidance independently, for the same head/face situation.
  • For an extremity site instead, both sources say to elevate the limb itself — no product needed for that case, just your own arrangement.

The count: Reused from the shoulder-surgery and facelift hubs' own verified pick, re-verified live for this hub — a steady torso-and-head incline, not a leg-elevation pillow. (This hub's own research doc pointed at the wrong file here — a leg/calf-elevation pillow built for knee replacement — corrected for this build; see page source comment.)

One flaw (not a dealbreaker): Two pillows, or a borrowed recliner, work fine too — buy this only if neither sits right in your bedroom.

See the Bekweim Adjustable-Height Bed Wedge Pillow, 12 Inch on Amazon →

Also good if this doesn't sit right: Bedluxe 3-Piece Adjustable Wedge Pillow Set ($39.98) →

Embrace Active Scar Defense for New Scars, FDA-Cleared Silicone Scar Sheets, 2.4 Inch, Medium, 60 Day Supply

Because a named surgical director's own patient guidance is the most specific citation in this whole research pass: silicone tape, nightly, for about six weeks — but not until the wound has closed.

Silicone scar tape — a later purchase, once the incision seals

Embrace Active Scar Defense for New Scars, FDA-Cleared Silicone Scar Sheets, 2.4 Inch, Medium, 60 Day Supply

Not a day-1 buy — add it to your list for once the incision has sealed, usually a couple of days after surgery.

  • Dr. Bhuvanesh Singh, surgical director of the Skin Cancer Program at Northwell Cancer Institute: "Apply it at night for about six weeks and protect it from the sun during the day."
  • Same source: "You can buy it online and use it once the incision has sealed (usually after the first couple of days)."
  • Honest disclosure: Dr. Singh names silicone TAPE specifically. This pick is a silicone SHEET — the same FDA-regulated device category (Elastomer, Silicone, For Scar Management, product code MDA) but a different physical form. Cut to fit if you want a closer match to "tape."

The count: FDA-cleared under an individual 510(k) (K112131) confirmed live against the FDA's own device database, not asserted from the product's marketing copy alone — see the full comparison page for the size options.

One flaw (not a dealbreaker): This is the one item on the checklist without a same-procedure citation for the exact form factor — see the tape-vs-sheet note above. If an exact silicone-tape product matters to you, ask a pharmacist for one by that name.

See the Embrace Active Scar Defense for New Scars, FDA-Cleared Silicone Scar Sheets, 2.4 Inch, Medium, 60 Day Supply on Amazon →

Also good if your incision is longer: Embrace Active Scar Defense for New Scars, FDA-Cleared Medical-Grade Silicone Scar Sheets, 4.7 Inch, Large, 30-Day Supply ($66.15) →

See the full silicone scar sheet comparison →

Recovery tip: Dartmouth-Hitchcock's own handbook names a specific technique for later, not a product: once your scar is past 2 months old, gently massaging any firm area 3 times a day, 3 minutes each time, can help it soften — don't start before 2 months, and it can help up to 6 months out.

Even later — once you're healed enough for sun

Not a day-1 item, and we don't have a verified pick to link here right now — the guidance is still worth stating.

Sun protection, without a linked product: Dr. Singh's own instructions pair silicone tape with daytime sun protection over it, and the American Academy of Dermatology separately recommends a broad-spectrum sunscreen, SPF 30 or higher, as standard advice for anyone who has had skin cancer. This is a weaker, single-thread citation than this site's other hubs use for a sunscreen pick (it rests on a pairing instruction plus general prevention advice, not a dated hospital discharge instruction), and this site's one candidate product for the category — the same ASIN the facelift hub already checked and left unlinked — still has no reliable stock or add-to-cart signal. Any broad-spectrum, fragrance-free mineral sunscreen, SPF 30 or higher, fits what's described here; we're not linking a specific one yet.

What we skipped

The honesty section — what this recovery doesn't need, and what a real disagreement between hospitals means for one item on this list.

Where hospitals disagree

Hospitals genuinely differ on whether to use antibiotic ointment or plain petroleum jelly on a healing Mohs wound — this page doesn't pick a side, and links no product for either.

University of Mississippi Medical Center and Dr. Bhuvanesh Singh (Northwell) both instruct antibiotic ointment. Dartmouth-Hitchcock's own handbook says the opposite: “We do not recommend... antibiotic ointments to your wounds,” and instructs plain petroleum jelly instead. Follow your own discharge sheet over a general rule — full breakdown, with every quote, on the wound-care page.

Source: UMMC, Northwell Health, and Dartmouth-Hitchcock patient instructions, all fetched live 2026-08-06

  • No walkers, canes, commodes, or bathroom-safety equipment on this list. Every source in this research describes the physical restriction as local to the wound (don't lift heavy, don't sweat heavily, elevate the site) — not whole-body mobility-limiting the way a joint replacement is. Padding this hub with unrelated DME just to look fuller would misrepresent that.
  • Skip a recliner purchase. No source in this research recommends one specifically for Mohs — unlike the mobility-limited hubs on this site, nothing here requires sleeping upright in a chair rather than a bed.
  • Gauze, nonstick dressing, and paper tape come up in a couple of these hospital instructions, but never as a branded recommendation — basic first-aid versions work, and most people already have some at home.
  • Skip a portable phone charger as a "hospital-recommended" buy. It's genuinely useful for a multi-hour wait, and shows up constantly on surgeon-practice blogs, but no hospital or academic source fetched for this research names it — bring one if you like, just don't mistake it for a cited pick.

Go deeper

Two follow-up pages cover what comes up next for this surgery specifically — the coverage question, and the full wound-care picture, disagreements included.

Does Medicare cover Mohs surgery?

Yes, for the removal itself — CPT codes 17311-17315, a real Part B physician benefit. The honest gap is what comes after. No affiliate links on this page.

Mohs wound care: where hospitals genuinely disagree

Antibiotic ointment or plain petroleum jelly? A 10-lb lifting limit or "let pain be your guide"? Real hospitals, real disagreement — reported side by side.
This is an equipment and cost-coverage guide, not medical advice. It doesn't cover which wound-care product to use, pain management, infection signs beyond a hospital's own quoted "call us if" line, or any clinical decision that should come from your surgeon. Follow your own discharge instructions over anything here — hospitals genuinely disagree on some specifics (see "What we skipped" above), and your surgeon's instructions are the ones that apply to you.
See the full printable checklist — all 7 items ↓

Everything on this hub, in one list — the 3 picks, the later item with no linked product, and what's free, skipped, or a genuine hospital disagreement. This is what prints when you use the button up top.

The full Mohs surgery recovery checklist
ItemCategoryStatus
Small ice pack Essential — day 1, everyone Buy
Head-elevation wedge (or 2 pillows) Essential — head/face/neck sites only Buy — or free, with pillows
Silicone scar tape/sheet Later — once incision seals, ~6 weeks nightly Buy, not day 1
Broad-spectrum mineral sunscreen, SPF 30+ Even later — once healed No verified pick yet — any SPF 30+ mineral sunscreen
Antibiotic ointment OR petroleum jelly Wound care, day 1 through healing Ask your surgeon — hospitals disagree
Gauze / nonstick dressing / paper tape Borrow or skip Likely already own
Walker, cane, commode, bathroom-safety equipment Borrow or skip Skip — not mobility-limiting

The short version: what Medicare covers here

The coverage story

Mohs micrographic surgery (CPT codes 17311-17315) is a covered Medicare Part B physician service when medically necessary — a real, cited benefit, not a DME/equipment story.

What isn't covered: elective cosmetic scar revision after the cancer is removed, excluded by federal statute (Social Security Act Sec. 1862(a)(10)) the same way any purely cosmetic procedure is. None of this checklist's three picks — the ice pack, the wedge, or the scar tape — carry a Medicare billing code either; none are separately reimbursable regardless of a prescription.

Source: CMS Medicare Coverage Database, Billing and Coding Article A53883 (LCD L34961) and LCD L39506, both fetched live 2026-08-06

See the full CPT-code and cosmetic-exclusion breakdown →

This page has Amazon links — we may earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. It never changes which product we recommend. See our methodology.

Sources

  1. American College of Mohs Surgery (ACMS), "The Mohs Surgery Procedure" — stages-per-case and "clear a full day" citations; fetched live 2026-08-06
  2. American College of Mohs Surgery (ACMS), "Post-Operative Care" — the "clear your schedule on surgery day" and cure-rate citations; fetched live 2026-08-06
  3. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, "About Your Mohs Surgery" (PDF) — the snacks/refrigerator and waiting-area citations; fetched + PDF-extracted live 2026-08-06
  4. UCLA Health / UCLA Dermatology, Post-Operative Wound Care Instructions (PDF) — the duration-variability, reading-material, and driver citations; fetched + PDF-extracted live 2026-08-06
  5. Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Mohs Micrographic Surgery Patient Handbook (PDF) — the duration range, waiting-room, petroleum-jelly, and scar-massage citations; fetched + PDF-extracted live 2026-08-06
  6. University of Mississippi Medical Center, Postoperative Care of Mohs Surgery - Excisions — the ice-pack, head-elevation, and antibiotic-ointment citations; fetched live 2026-08-06
  7. Northwell Health / The Well, "Mohs Surgery Recovery: Your 48-Hour Game Plan" (Bhuvanesh Singh, MD) — the silicone-tape citation, named-physician byline; fetched live 2026-08-06
  8. American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), skin cancer statistics — the 9,500-diagnoses-per-day figure, independently corroborated by the Dartmouth-Hitchcock handbook above; fetched live 2026-08-06
  9. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (JAAD) research letter, Ladd RT et al., via NCBI PMC — the peer-reviewed 1.6-stages-per-case figure; fetched live 2026-08-06 — not used for any procedure-volume total
  10. Amazon product-page direct verification (scripts/verify_asin.py) — live verification method for every pick above, run today 2026-08-06
  11. VerifiedCareData dataset.json (CC-BY-4.0) — every coverage fact above in one machine-readable endpoint