Red spot on back persistant scab please help

[Beya4567]

I noticed yesturday that i have a small scab on my back lower down towards bottom of spine i picked it and now it's red and sore however I now remember picking the same spot months back...and freaking out its a bcc or skin cancer.....I defiantly picked the same area atleast 6 months back..I'm dead and the cancer has spread everywhere I no it has

Kindly, I think you might be suffering from some health anxiety. If you’re concerned you need to book an appointment with your GP. Hopefully it is nothing but jumping straight to thinking you’re going to die is pretty extreme. Book an appointment tomorrow and mention your anxiety whilst you’re there. Best of luck - I’m sure everything will be ok.

You need to stop spiralling.

1st get a doctors appointment so they can check. In my experience if there is the tiniest suspicion they will refer you so it can be checked by specialists.

2nd BCC dont really spread to other organs (0.5%) There are dermatologists that dont considere them cancer in the normal sense as they grow slowly and generally dont cause issues unless near to other organs nose/ eyes etc

3rd Skin cancer has a extremely high survival rate. The treatments have improved significantly over the last 5 years? So even statistics dont give the current picture.

You are catastrophising and thatnis likely causing more health issues than any growth.

I had a spot on my back for over two years before getting it checked. It was as you described. It was considered suspicious but benign one biopsy results came back.

I also have had a diagnosis of BCC on my face that was there for at least a year. It had been removed and no further action is needed at all.

In addition I had another lesion on my back well over a year that came back as malignant melanoma. Its been removed. Depending on the staging that my well be the end of any treatment.

There are all different kinds skin cancer and on the whole the number of benign growths outnumbers cancerous ones by a significant margin.

Stop panicking, get it checked but also discuss you anxiety as that will likely be the biggest issue.

Thankyou for your message...there squarmius carcinoma that can spread and is fast growing i heard...
Ill try put on a pic..its mainly flat now where I picked it...but I'm sure I've picked his same area before months ago so must still be there 😢I'm petrified

If you pick it of course its going to keep scabbing over, leave it alone.

Was thw spot on your back a scab tho that was fine

The last time I picked it was about 6 months ago atleast

I don't no weather to go to a and e I'm spiralling so bad I'm going. To die ...I've been tired ,achy and now I feel it's spread

This 100% is not and A&E issue. They will tell you to go to GP. My suspected Melanoma took over a month to be biopsied.

I understand you are worried, but the worry will not change anything and is not helping you at all.

The likelihood is that it will be nothing, and even if it is something the prognosis is actually very positive. People hear cancer and can jump to death, but treatments have progressed so much now.

The growth I had on my back that was benign was a spot that didn't seem to want to heel, and I would occasionally knock the top off and it would bleed. It was much angrier and bigger than your pictures tbh.

No one can tell from pictures if there is a specific diagnosis, but to me it looks very small and I honestly wouldn't be overly concerned at this point.

From cancer research uk nurse on their forum "Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is one of the most common types of skin cancer and usually does not spread.
Treatment to remove an SCC isn't regarded as urgent and people often have to wait several months for treatment.

In the meantime, all I can really suggest is that you talk about your concerns with your GP. Hopefully, they will be able to reassure you that SCC's generally takes years to develop in most people. So waiting a few months is unlikely to do any harm."

That is from a cancer nurse...someone way more knowledgeable than you or I.

Also

"Fast-growing SCC is a type of skin cancer that develops over weeks rather than months. Characterized by rapid changes and growths that quickly increase in size. Rapidly progressing tumors are more frequently seen on the head, neck, hands, and lips, or in individuals with weakened immune systems"

It seems from what you have said, this spot isnt rapidly growing over weeks, and is in a place not often associated with rapidly progressing tumors.

As mentioned I have a malignant melanoma diagnosis. Melanoma is significantly more dangerous than SCC. If left untreated for two years, which mine was a minimum of two years, melanoma can spread to vital organs and become life-threatening. While SCC can also spread, its growth is generally slower and highly treatable if caught then. So even with my diagnosis I am not overly concerned with dying. The treatments are hugely successful.

You really are catastrophising, it could be absolutely nothing, but even if it is something I don't think you need to be petrified. I really dont.

Do you suffer from health anxiety?

Yeah I'd pic this one and it would bleed like it did this morning now it's just sore....worried now it will just grow back into a scab again...I heard tiredness means it's spread too so worried that's what's happened 😢..as my eyes have been tired for months now..i also suffer from a bad back ect so that's added to the concern of spread...😢petrified

Put a dab of sudocreme on it. Anything will bleed if you keep picking it

Get it checked. If it’s BCC, it can be dealt with. (DH, mum and sister all had - several of them) as long as enough tissue is removed. Good luck and make the appointment.

Maybe a BCC, I have had a couple of them, on your back it will be easy to remove and will be fine. I had one on my leg for ages, they are just really skin lesions that affect the local area

Honestly tiredness is often just tiredness.

I am early 40's, everything hurts more than it did, and I am tired. Apparently sleeping with arms is now an issue as my arms hurt after I've slept on them 😂

I am not being unkind but your response to this is extreme. All the evidence suggests there is more chance of it being nothing than something. And again if it something it will likely be treated very effectively with no long term issues.

I really think you should speak to your GP about anxiety, I think that is more likely a cause of tiredness aches than anything else.

You need to focus on something rather than spiralling over this.

How did they present please for u

Thankyou for your reply it really means alot however as the area which I'm sure is the same area obv keeps scabbing I'm thinking the worst..I don't want to leave my kids..
And I'm not sure how long I noticed and picked it before atleast a year from the start 😢

Could it just be a skin tag?

Mine were there for about 2 or 3 years as it was Covid times so I didn't bother to go to the GP. One was a small none healing spot and the other flat and scaly. I didn't bother too much as it was my leg and I'm old. On my face I would have gone much quicker. I'm still here.

What evidence shows its most likely nothing tho 😢it's obviously not going away and keeps scabbing i guessing

Would that keep scabbing tho or like a spot 😢....

I’ve had a bcc on my face. I’d left it for years as I really didn’t think it was anything. I used to cover it with concealer and it could be abit flakey. I only mentioned it to my gp when I was there for something else. I had it cut out and that was the end of it. That was 2009.
Ive got something on my leg I must get checked too.
Go to the gp, I bet it’ll be something similar, don’t worry xx

As I said mine was at least 2 years and it kept scabbing.

As an aside I have just looked at your posting history and in 2026 you have been terrified that you have cervical cancer, mouth cancer, bone cancer and now skin cancer. You must realise this is a pattern and it is anxiety.

I am not saying dont get checked, but you really need to deal with your anxiety.

Circling on MN is likely doing you more harm so I won't be posting again. I wish you luck in feeling with your health anxiety. 💝

I noticed in the consultants letter my BCCs were referred to as skin lesions not cancer

Thankyou for your time

I will come bk and let u no the outcome I'm worried sick don't want to leave my kids

And get a GP appt to put your mind at rest.