Could have had BCC for 10 years..?

Hi I saw a dermatologist yesterday after being referred by my go with a dark coloured mole. While I was there I also asked for them to take a look at a rough patch of skin on the side of my forehead which had recently bled after my hairdresser caught it as she was blow drying my hair. Straightaway said it was a BCC & also a smaller one the other side.. My gp had dismissed it as a skin wound that was healing. The mole turned out to be no problem. I have two major concerns about the BCCs - they have been there for I would say possibly up to 10 years if not longer.. always thought they were just areas of dry skin until the one bled . I was told they are slow growing & no one seemed concerned but that’s a long time  Would they have tried to get a sooner appointment if this was a concern? I’ve had several other miles checked out during this time - all ok - without even thinking to get these looked at.. 
. The skin on my nose also feels a bit rough in places & slightly red but I do tend to catch the sun on it however careful I am in summer even wearing spf 50. I am hoping surely this would have been noticed while looking at my forehead if this could possibly also be a BCC but it’s quite a lot of the skin on my nose that is like this. I’m also worried about facial surgery & scarring;  the larger of the two is 17mm (the other around 3mm) so have been given Aldara cream to try to shrink it. Can this ever completely get rid of it without needing surgery? Anyone any experience of this? I have a 6 month wait for surgery but it’s more the length of time I’ve already had these that is worrying me. Sorry for the long post! 

  • That sounds a good result and hopefully your news tomorrow will be good too. Please let us know, if you can, I will be thinking of you tomorrow.

    Can I ask, how long was it from the time your GP referred you until you got your surgery? I keep reading about quite long waiting lists for bcc surgery which worries me, because this has been on my face for a few years. 

  • Thanks bee, I'm glad to hear your surgery went well and not too painful. Six weeks seems kind of a long time to wait for your biopsy results, did they say why it would take so long? Do you think it's because they're not worried about yours, so it's not on an urgent pathway?

    Yeah I'm a bit worried because like yours it's been there a few years, first GP I went to 18 months ago said it was dry skin ....

    Also, my brother had skin cancer and it damaged his eyesight because the scar pulled up on one eye. My lesion is just below one eyebrow so I'm worried similar might happen.

    That's very encouraging about your friend's results. Where on her face was it, can I ask? I also have a very small lump near my nose I want them to look at, I meant to ask the dermatologist at my appointment but I was so rattled about the cancer diagnosis I forgot.

  • my friends was by her nose and eye. so ur brother was probably just unlucky poor thing

    mine was urgent two week pathway. dont know why biopsy so long. they said it covers whole hospital not just dermatology

     and I spose they expect it to all be out. but with a late diagnosis that might not be the case. 

    I think bcc is unlikely to spread and I've heard people waiting a couple months for surgery.  my gp put squamous on paperwork so got in 2 weeks but dermatologist said bcc

     mine was a small flat pinky mark thought it was a  normal skin blemish then it went scaly and lighter

  • I think I must have been quite lucky I was referred on 25th June then got hospital appointment with consultant two weeks later then had my surgery . Maybe it was because the BCC had been there probably around 9 years or more …. 

  • Hi bee, I’m glad your friend had such a good result. My brother was unlucky because the cancer developed in a scar from previous cancer surgery and the medics kept telling him it was just scar tissue. So it dragged on before they finally got it out.
    I really hope your biopsy comes back showing they got it all. I understand you got seen on the two week pathway, did they do the surgery right away or how long did you wait for that?

  • Gosh, Jenny, that does sound quick compared to the long waits I’ve been reading about. Can I ask, did they discuss any options for surgery, because I think the standard technique is excision, just cut it out - but I’ve read about Mohs surgery which is supposed to leave a smaller scar on the face, but waiting list to get it on the NHS is up to 15 months. 

  • I didn't get offered options but mine wasn't on my face. but if it's less evasive u could ask.. but i spose its weighing up the waiting list... and I think its longer wait for skin graft as this is different dept. someone I know has a 6 -9month wait due to waiting on the plastic surgeon

  • I didn’t get offered Mohs I live in Jersey Channel Islands and they don’t do mohs here I believe on occasion they send people to the uk mainland and have it but they didn’t offer to me maybe because it was quite large and deep 

  • Thanks bee, I’m glad yours wasn’t on the face, glad the treatment was straightforward. I hope your results don’t actually take as long as they’re expecting and it’s a good outcome.

  • You got your treatment very quickly though which is what we all want - I know you were concerned about how long the bcc had been there, so you probably wouldn’t have wanted a long wait to go somewhere else. I hope everything goes well tomorrow with the stitches, let us know, good luck.