I am due to have a BCC removed on the side of my nose, could anyone tell me how painful the procedure is and how long the recovery is likely to be. Am I more likely to have it re-occurr?
The procedure won't be painful - depending on the size they will possibly give you a local anaesthetic. It will be sore as it heals but not too bad. Again, recovery time will depend on the size of the BCC. My dad had one taken off his forehead - he had a small scar with stitches & he could carry on his normal routine with a plaster on his forehead. It was completely healed after a few weeks.
With regards to recurrence, unfortunately once you've had one BCC you are at risk of another in the future. This is because it's due to UV damage from sun exposure. It takes a few years for the damage to appear so even when you now start to be more careful in the sun, the damage will already have been done. Early detected BCC can often be treated with a cream so not all require surgical removal. Just keep checking yourself from now on, especially your face, head & ears, so that you catch anything new quickly & hopefully avoid surgery. Good luck,
