Microcystic Adnexal Carcinoma (MAC)

Microcystic adnexal carcinoma is a rare, slow-growing cancer of the sweat-gland structures, most often around the lips and central face. On the surface it can look small and innocent — a firm patch or subtle thickening — while infiltrating far more widely and deeply than it appears, often along nerves.

That mismatch between what shows and what is there makes complete margin examination especially valuable. Mohs surgery reads the entire margin under the microscope during the procedure, following the tumor's true extent rather than its visible footprint, on the part of the body where sparing every millimeter of healthy tissue matters most.