What are your experiences with BCC biopsy

[Fightingtobepositive]

I don’t know what I’m asking really. But my partner has just came back from the dermatologist about a spot on his face. He’s mentioned BCC and wants a biopsy. He’s booked for August then another apt to discuss in Sept. These appointment seem so long when the C word has been mentioned, I understand it can be removed but it’s not nice to think about. My partner is a very positive person but even he seems so low at the minute.

I’m so anxious about health anyway that my thoughts are already spiralling!! Google hasn’t helped, as usual!

I guess I’m just asking what’s everyone’s experiences or thoughts. Has anyone had a red spot for months and it’s just turned out to be nothing? Has anyone had biopsy’s after being told that it’s likely to be bcc and it wasn’t? If it was was a it simple, how long did you wait etc

thanks x

It really isn't anything to worry about although the C word can be terrifying. I had one removed from my eyelid by MOHs surgery at 39, 57 now. I have been very careful to use factor 50 on my face everyday since and thankfully have never had a recurrence. They don't spread and very rarely infiltrate surrounding tissue.

Thank you again all. Can I ask. Do you wear suncream even in winter months?

I don't wear suncream in the winter months, I just wear my Elizabeth Arden moisturiser with factor 15 in it, I'm 67 though so I maybe would do differently if I was younger, a lot of my damage was done in the 80s, lots of sunbathing with factor 2, 4 and 8 which was common in those years. Only my face is out in the cooler weather anyway.

I have had two BCCs on my nose, well the second was the same one basically that recurred because I don’t think they fully removed it all the first time. The first time, they just cut it out. The second time, they did a punch biopsy which was fine, but they decided they didn’t quite get it all from the biopsy but what was left was very superficial so could be treated with Aldara cream (basically like a chemotherapy cream). Now fair warning, this was pretty horrendous. I had to apply it for 6 weeks and it was painful, the reaction was extreme but they told me that meant it was working. It did heal up after the treatment finished with minimal scarring, but I certainly didn’t look pretty for a few weeks.

If BCC he will be fine. I’m in Australia so have had skin cancers sliced and diced since my early 30’s.

My first was a very early stage melanoma, and I was pregnant with one of the gang when that was detected. Since then the only way has been up with numerous SCC’s and BCC’s😁. It’s pretty standard here for my generation (I’m not young). They just burn them or slice them out and then take extra if they need, only real issue comes when you don’t have enough skin for them to take any more and have to go through the topical chemo/immunotherapy palaver which is a nuisance but does the trick with BCC’s and SCC’s. Hopefully my kids will avoid a lot of this as completely as unlike my childhood where sun protection was not a thing here - we did have a sunblock back then but was completely liquid, parents lost half of it before rubbing it on and it rubbed straight off on anything you wore/sat on/touched and came off immediately in water. Hats were not a thing back then for us and all kids wore bikini’s/speedo’s at the beach and not much everywhere else. So, in short, people my age are pretty fucked, but our kids should be much better off.

I see a skin cancer specialist every 3 months for checks, the main concern being to spot any melanoma pronto so it can be chopped out before spread, that’s the only real worry, everything else pretty easily dealt with.

OP i was advised by the consultant to wear SPF 50 everyday all year round so i do.

I do now better late than never.

I had one on my temple for about 6 months, I had treatment of a cream for a short period which burns your skin then a biopsy, it was all fine in the end. No noticeable scar