Colorado Springs LIVING WELL Magazine welcomes Dr. Patrick Sniezek

Colorado Springs LIVING WELL Magazine is pleased to welcome Dr. Patrick Sniezek at Mohs Surgery and Skin Cancer Center at the Colorado Springs Dermatology Clinic to the publication

ABOUT DR. SNIEZEK AND THE MOHS SURGERY AND SKIN CANCER CENTER AT THE COLORADO SPRINGS DERMATOLOGY CLINIC 

Dr. Sniezek grew up in East Tennessee and is a graduate of Harvard University and the University of Tennessee School of Medicine, where he graduated with highest honors and was elected to the AOA Medical Honor Society, recognizing the top 1% of medical students in the country. After completing a surgery internship at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, Dr. Sniezek served in the United States Navy as an operational flight surgeon.

He completed his dermatology residency at the University of Iowa and then returned to active duty as a staff dermatologist at the National Naval Medical Center where he received the Staff of the Year Award for excellence in teaching. He also served as an Assistant Professor of Dermatology at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in Bethesda, MD.

Dr. Sniezek then had the privilege of receiving his fellowship training in Mohs Surgery and facial reconstruction in Pittsburgh, PA from John Zitelli, M.D., widely considered the premier Mohs surgeon in the country and David Brodland, M.D., the past president of the American College of Mohs Surgery.

Dr. Sniezek is board certified in Dermatology and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Dermatology. He is also an Associate in the American College of Mohs Surgery, a Fellow in the American Academy of Dermatology and the American Society of Dermatologic Surgery. He has authored numerous articles and has lectured on skin cancer at both local and national meetings. When not working, Dr. Sniezek enjoys spending time with his wife and four children.

What is Mohs surgery?

Mohs surgery is a highly specialized treatment for the total removal of skin cancer. Mohs surgery is named in honor of Dr. Frederic Mohs, the physician who developed the technique. This method differs from all other methods of treating skin cancer by the use of detailed mapping techniques and complete microscopic examination of all the tissues removed.

The procedure is begun after the skin is injected with a local anesthetic to completely numb the area. Then the visible cancer and a very thin layer of skin are removed from that exact location. Next, the tissue is processed using special techniques in our in-office lab. Dr. Sniezek then examines all surfaces of the tissue under the microscope. If any tumor is seen during the microscopic examination, its location is pinpointed and a thin layer of additional tissue is excised from the involved area for microscopic examination. This entire process is repeated until the cancer is completely removed.