Vitaly Terushkin, MD

Vitaly Terushkin, MD Dr. Vitaly Terushkin is a fellowship-trained Mohs surgeon and triple board-certified in Dermatology, Dermatopathology, and Micrographic Dermatologic Surgery.

Fellowship-trained in Mohs & Reconstructive Surgery
Triple Board-certified in Dermatology, Dermatopathology, and Micrographic Dermatologic Surgery
Dermatology Clinical Instructor He is one of a few Mohs surgeons in the United States to have completed a fellowship in dermatopathology. Dr. Terushkin is the first Mohs surgeon in New York City to have treated melanoma with Mohs surgery and MART-1 immunohistochemical staining. He currently practices Mohs surgery for melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer in New York and New Jersey. He also teaches dermatology residents at Weill Cornell Medical College. Since entering practice, Dr. Terushkin has performed over 12,000 Mohs surgeries. This includes over 900 melanomas treated with Mohs surgery and the MART-1 immunostain. Dr. Terushkin graduated summa cm laude from Brandeis University with a degree in Neuroscience and then attended NYU School of Medicine. While in medical school, he spent an extra year conducting research in cutaneous oncology at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. He completed his internship in internal medicine at the Mount Sinai Medical Center and his dermatology residency at NYU, where he also served as chief resident. Dr. Terushkin then completed a fellowship in Micrographic surgery and dermatologic oncology under the guidance of Drs. Zitelli and Brodland, recognized leaders in the field. He subsequently returned to NYU to complete a fellowship in dermatopathology. In 2021 and 2022, Dr. Terushkin was selected as a Castle Connolly Top Doctor. He has published over 30 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. He is a member of the American College of Mohs Surgery, American Academy of Dermatology, and Dermatologic Society of Greater New York. He is a peer reviewer for several professional medical journals. He is fluent in Russian and conversational in Spanish.

Mohs surgery case of the week - melanoma in situ of the eyelid margin. This patient underwent mohs surgery with the MART...
06/09/2025

Mohs surgery case of the week - melanoma in situ of the eyelid margin.

This patient underwent mohs surgery with the MART-1 stain for a melanoma in situ of the eyelid margin. These MART-1 frozen section images show extension of atypical melanocytes along the conjunctival mucosa (the inside of the eyelid).

The purpose of showing this case is to highlight the importance of wearing hats and sunglasses to protect the eyelid skin from UV radiation.

Mohs surgery case of the week - squamous cell carcinoma growing down to and possibly into the bone. This patient underwe...
06/02/2025

Mohs surgery case of the week - squamous cell carcinoma growing down to and possibly into the bone.

This patient underwent Mohs surgery for a squamous cell carcinoma of the upper forehead. Two stages of mohs surgery were performed with the deep margin remaining positive. This tumor was quite deep, growing through skin, fat, muscle, and a layer of tissue covering the bone called the periostium. Mohs surgery was stopped and the patient was send to head and neck surgical oncology for further management. (Note the sheets of atypical keratinocytes on frozen section pathology).

The purpose of showing this case is to highlight the destructive nature of some skin cancers. They can grow fast and deep and may require a multidisciplinary approach for management. Fortunately, this is a very rare clinical scenario.

Mohs surgery legend and former President of the American College of Mohs Surgery, Dr. Sumaira Aasi, visiting our practic...
05/03/2025

Mohs surgery legend and former President of the American College of Mohs Surgery, Dr. Sumaira Aasi, visiting our practice from Stanford School of Medicine!

Mohs surgery case of the week - Recurrent squamous cell carcinoma after primary treatment with radiation therapy. Mohs s...
02/08/2025

Mohs surgery case of the week - Recurrent squamous cell carcinoma after primary treatment with radiation therapy.

Mohs surgery is the gold standard in treating cutaneous head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Radiation therapy is a reasonable option for patients who prefer a non-operative approach and usually has a very good success rate. Unfortunately, after primary treatment with radiation therapy, this tumor recurred with a vengeance. Clinically, the tumor presented as a 1.5 cm nodule. It was cleared with 6 stages of mohs surgery, but not before destroying skin, fat, and muscle in its path and leaving a 6 cm defect.

Histologically, portions of the tumor were difficult to appreciate with H&E. To improve our ability to track this tumor, we utilized the pancytokeratin marker AE1/AE3. Notice how easy this stain allows for visualization of perineural invasion, a high risk marker.

Our high complexity in-house laboratory is the only Mohs lab in NYC that routinely performs real-time immunostaining during surgery for complex and high-risk cancers, offering patients like this the highest possible chance in surviving a terrible skin cancer like this.

Happy Saturday! Thanks to this patient for sharing his experience on Google Reviews. We are lucky to have the best medic...
12/28/2024

Happy Saturday! Thanks to this patient for sharing his experience on Google Reviews. We are lucky to have the best medical assistants (MAs) to help take care of our patients.

Mohs surgery frozen section of the day - Infiltrating squamous cell carcinoma stained with H&E and AE1/AE3. Immunohistoc...
10/30/2024

Mohs surgery frozen section of the day - Infiltrating squamous cell carcinoma stained with H&E and AE1/AE3.

Immunohistochemistry has not only revolutionized the way Mohs surgeons treat melanoma (with the use of the MART-1 antibody) but is particularly helpful when treating aggressive keratinocytic neoplasms like squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma.

Infiltrating SCC can be challenging to treat because these single cells can blend in with inflammation and surrounding stroma. This example also
exhibits perineural invasion. The use of the pancytokeratin marker AE1/AE3 makes it much easier to track this tumor, remove it when seen, and improve cure rates.

Our high complexity in-house laboratory is the only Mohs lab in NYC that routinely performs real-time immunostaining during surgery for complex and high-risk cancers.

Thanks so much to this kind patient for their words on
10/12/2024

Thanks so much to this kind patient for their words on

Mohs surgery frozen section of the week - Melanoma in situ on H & E. This is a beautiful and classic example showing nes...
07/20/2024

Mohs surgery frozen section of the week - Melanoma in situ on H & E. This is a beautiful and classic example showing nesting and confluence of atypical melanocytes at the dermal-epidermal junction.

Mohs surgery frozen section of the day - Squamous cell carcinoma with perineural invasion.
06/25/2024

Mohs surgery frozen section of the day - Squamous cell carcinoma with perineural invasion.

Mohs surgery frozen section of the day. Calcium hydroxylapetite cosmetic filler was found incidentally during Mohs surge...
05/21/2024

Mohs surgery frozen section of the day.

Calcium hydroxylapetite cosmetic filler was found incidentally during Mohs surgery for squamous cell carcinoma of the dorsal hand. Note the round refractile granules in the dermis.

Thanks so much for the kind words from our patient on !We can still enjoy the sun, but it's important to be safe (hat, s...
05/12/2024

Thanks so much for the kind words from our patient on !

We can still enjoy the sun, but it's important to be safe (hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen). 😎

Thanks so much to the .college for the opportunity to work on an important project for our specialty.
05/03/2024

Thanks so much to the .college for the opportunity to work on an important project for our specialty.

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205 E 69th St Apt 1C
New York, NY
10021

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Dr. Vitaly Terushkin is a fellowship-trained Mohs surgeon and a board-certified dermatologist and dermatopathologist. He currently practices Mohs surgery in New York and New Jersey. He is also a Clinical Instructor in Dermatology at Weill Cornell Medical College. His interests include Mohs surgery for melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer as well as skin cancer reconstruction. He is one of a few Mohs surgeons in the tri-state area formally trained to treat melanoma with Mohs surgery and the MART-1 immunostain. He has performed over 5,500 Mohs surgeries since completing his Mohs surgery fellowship.