Basal carcinoma on face - terrified

[Solly554]

I’ve been diagnosed with a BCC on my face and I’m terrified. The consultant is not overly concerned but drew me a picture of the size of the incision needed to remove it. It’s huge and will leave a scar right in the middle of my face, next to my nose.

I was so shocked, I didn’t ask any questions and now I wish I had. Is surgery the only way? Could I ask for another method of removal to minimise the damage?

I know it sounds vain but I have a stressful job, and the thought of dealing with that for months with a huge bandage, stitched up scar etc is throwing me into a complete panic.

I’m struggling with menopause and insomnia at the moment, and this has made things worse. Please share advice if you’ve had this done. Is it worth seeing if it can be done another way?

I'm sorry you're dealing with this. I'm not sure there is another way as it does have to be removed.

So sorry op. One good thing is that this cancer usually isn't life threatening or spreads. I think surgery is the only way though. Good luck xx

You will need surgery, and I'm sorry that this has to happen in such a prominent place, but once it's removed that will almost certainly be the last of it - which would not necessarily be the case with melanoma, for example.

DP had his removed in a prominent place under his eye and you can't tell at all. It was very minor surgery and I'm sure they will do their best to minimize scarring.

I had one removed, also just near my eye, I was convinced it would create a 'pull' on my eye when removed but they are excellent at what they do and now you can only see the scar if looking for it.

A scar created in this way heals really well as it is without trauma and a clean cut. It does need to be removed. It will take time to heal but is just one of those things unfortunately.

I had one removed years ago - no one has commented on it ever! Possibly because I don't have pearly white skin. I think it must have healed pretty quickly. And people tactfully didn't mention it. You wouldn't know I'd had it done now.

There is a procedure called Mohs surgery which removes a layer of skin at a time and results in much less scarring. You could ask the surgeon, there may be a reason he didn’t offer it (it’s much more time consuming). If it makes you feel any better my dad has had major BCCs removed from his face and the surgeon tend to stitch his skin in line with his natural face wrinkles. Barely noticeable. I would definitely tell the surgeon your concerns.

a family member had what pp described.
it looked more like a scratch/scrape than a bad wound and healed quickly.
no big bandage, the nurse used what looked like blister plasters that stayed on for a couple of weeks. then a 'normal' plaster to protect the area from light.

Yes I've had 3 surgeries to cut out suspected basal cell carcinoma. On the side of my nose, my temple and one on my scalp. I can't lie they do leave a scar, but they fade to a very fine, silvery line, which can be covered with make up.

The thing I'm annoyed about though is that after the ops, they were diagnosed as Actinic Keratoses, although they can develop into cancer if left untreated.

My sister was offered the cream Efudix to remove hers and did not require surgery, which is doubly annoying, so maybe look into that option OP.

Thank you everyone for your support, I feel a bit calmer. I know I’m lucky it’s not more serious. Does the healing take a long time? Just wondering how long before I can cover with makeup etc?

I was diagnosed with a BCC last week and my dermatologist has prescribed Efudix cream (twice a day for 6 weeks), which I believe works if the BCC is not too deep. You could ask if this could be possible before going down the surgery route.

Also second looking at Mohs surgery. It’s a game changer for treating bcc. You may need to go privately though.

Hi OP. I know BCC sounds frightening but really there is very little need to be concerned about them. (I'm not a medic but had one removed from the side of my face a few years ago.) It's very rare indeed for them to turn into anything sinister.

I understand your cosmetic concern. All I can say is that when I had mine removed I spent some time on a BCC forum, and it was filled with people posting what looked like scary pictures immediately after operations which faded to become all but invisible. My own was the same. I had an incision a couple of inches long at the side of my face, next to my ear. In much less than a year it was difficult to see that I'd ever had anything done.

I know you'll worry, but try your best to remember that almost certainly it won't be serious and that almost certainly your scar will be barely visible when it's had a chance to heal

Thank you for this. I think it’s because mine is right in the middle of my face. I keep seeing photos of Frankenstein’s monster type scars, stitched up and looking awful. Do you remember how long before you could cover it up?

Mine was under my nostril between nose and upper lip. Removed by surgery (in and out in under an hour). I didn't have stitches (it's called secondary healing) and have to have a special type of dressing on. It took about 6 weeks until it was healed enough to uncover and within 6 months it had become a scar. Its very pale and you can only see it in certain light or if you know where to look! I don't wear makeup (apart from some lipstick and mascara) so that wasn't an issue for me. I did keep it moisturised once the dressing was off (as instructed) which aids healing and produces a better looking, smaller scar.

A colleague of mine had to have surgery for BBC on her nose. She was absolutely terrified about how it would look but she was back at work a week after the procedure and yes, you could see that she’d had something done however a few months down the line you would be hard pressed to even see a scar. Her surgeon followed the natural contours of her nose as much as possible and did a fantastic job.

I'm sorry you're going through this, I hope the removal goes well.
Would you mind - obviously if you feel comfortable to post a picture of the BCC? I've been struggling to get my GP to check small clear lump on my face and can't seem to find examples online that match, it just might help anyone with similar to know what to watch out for.

I had the surgery yesterday!
It's on the back of my hand and, although a bit painful, it's not too bad and I'm optimistic that it'll be ok.

Have the surgery OP. You need to be safe

I had MOHS surgery in August for a BCC right next to the inner corner of my eye. It has healed amazingly well and honestly is barely noticeable unless I point it out to someone.

I had to take a few days off work as it was quite sore, and had to wear an eye patch for a few days too, but then after that it was fine. Just make sure you follow the aftercare advice to the letter. Also ask if you can have a sedative before the procedure if you’re anxious.

Sorry meant to say the scar is about 1.5 inches long and runs down the side of my nose.

I don't know if this will help but here's some photos of a surgical scar (it's faded even more now) of mine

I remember the stitches came out after a week. I could put make up on about a week after that.
There was no huge bandage at any time and the wound was covered with a small dressing instead.

You'll be fine, OP. Honestly, it sounds worse than it is.

Thanks so much. Did you have excision or MOHS procedure?

I had a full excision and a skin graft as well. A plastic surgeon did it under local anaesthetic.

You can see it, but not easily. He did a great job! And it was on the NHS.

Dh has had four bcc removed at different times
3 on his face and he had MOHs procedures on all 3 and has no scars at all.
Are you nhs or private?
Happy to recommend Dh consultant if you're London or Home Counties
He's awesome