basal cell carcinoma on face

[Insertwitticismhere]

Hi. Talk me down/hold my hand/tell me it'll all be ok??
Had a spot come up between my lip and chin starting bothering me before christmas. Have tried all sorts to get rid. Went to see GP yest and he thinks its a basal cell carcinoma and referred to dermatology. Going back over photos last night I realise its actually been present for 2 years! Messaged the Dr to ask if this changed anything and if there was any sense of when an appt might come through. His reponse was 'Thank you for the infomation. You are on the correct pathway' and that was it.
Very anxious about what comes next and how long I might be left to stress about it! (Not to mention how big a hole they might need to cut in my face! )

If it’s not got a lot bigger in those two years surely it’s unlikely to be very threatening. Hopefully it will be a case of either nothing or zap it off and forget about it.

Oh that would be brilliant. I did think maybe it was a cold sore type thing at first as it appeared right when I had a nasty bug of some kind (cold/flu/Covid/whatever), although I haven’t had cold sores before. But because it still goes pink and scaly every now and then it doesn’t seem to match cold sore symptoms.

I wouldn’t worry yet. My GP was concerned about a skin lesion I had, referred me to a specialist who said she was 99% sure it was a benign inflammation and wasn’t even going to remove it. So totally opposite to what the GP said. In the end she decided to remove just to be 100% sure, the lab tested ir and it was benign.

Anyone who has had removal have you managed to disguise the scar in any way or have any treatment to cover the skin graft/scar?

Kelo-cote every morning and massage with Bio Oil every night for 6 months once it is healed.

Thank you but it is years ago so no chance of any natural improvement

I had one on side of bridge of nose right next to my eye. Removed when I was in my 30s. I was in the US then though so it was all taken very seriously and removed using some high-tech procedure using microscopes, due to its location. Left a reasonable crater, which they thought they might need to cover using plastic surgery, but it healed really well (and quickly) on its own. You wouldn’t know now (no scar) 15 years later.

I had one on the side of my nose. You can only see a very faint white line where they cut a flap of skin on my cheek and stretched it over the wound. The skin is remarkable at healing. I was given some yellow Vaseline to use to soften the skin once the stitches were removed (think it’s called Ecolab).

Mine is really visible as the graft and scar are both white. Just wondered if I could have it permanently coloured in some way to be less visible as make up doesnt work for summer holidays swimming.

@Insertwitticismhere have you got enough money to get it done privately? My DH had one recently. I rang up the Bupa hospital. They gave him an appt in under a fortnight and it was removed there and then. That was the end of it, done and dusted.

I had one removed the same way in 2019 and it was very very easy. 15 minutes in a room in the hospital and a little sticky plaster for a week and that was all. No scar.

If you want to know what it costs you can search for costmetic surgeon on this website, find the nearest one and email the secretary to ask.
https://www.finder.bupa.co.uk/

I had a BCC removed from my face (between nose and upper lip very close to the cheek). Easy surgery and no stitches as the surgeon said it would be tricky to make it look neat, so I had 'secondary healing'. (Wound is covered and left to heal like you would a normal cut, dressing changed every few days,) Have a very neat scar which should fade even further. The most reassuring thing is that BCC take years, or decades, to grow and the surgeon says you are more likely to die with it than of it. It can be a signifier that you are more susceptible to skin cancer but that depends on many factors.

Yes, keeping the scar hydrated by rubbing Vaseline on it for the first 6 months (after the stitches were removed). You really can’t see it at all!

Op I had one removed from my face when I was 39.

ive had a second removed from back of leg (last year).

they tend to be slow acting and the one on my face had been there for over 8 years.

try to not worry but get it removed. The biopsy may come back as negative.