Different Kinds of Skin Cancer on Face All at Once

Ho Boo123

I totally understand your anxiety... ever since I had a BCC removed from my nose I've become paranoid...it's like a switch has been turned on. I constantly check and recheck every lump and bump.  At times it becomes paralysing... I have a lovey reassuring surgeon but it makes no difference....   I'm afraid I can't offer any advice as I'm living in constant fear over my skin but what I've decided to do is have a yearly skin check done privately....   I know that I'll be terrified but at least all my areas of concern will be looked at....  other than that,  I really feel for you and hope that things settle down.... it's terrifying and overwhelming and because it's skin cancer a lot of people don't get the fear it causes and so it can also become a very lonely place... please keep in touch and know that you'll always get a listening ear on this site   

Thank you for your reply. I have spent the last half hour looking at another bump on my face and have managed to photograph it. Will send to dermatology. Problem is once the bcc on my chest is removed I am discharged from their service as I am no longer getting 3 monthly checks. Hence my thought about going private. I am 65 years old and am getting age related bumps like keratosis appear so it's so difficult knowing what is what. 

At least here I can feel people understand. Thank you.

Thank you it means such a lot to be understood. I live alone and the anxiety can be totally overwhelming. As I am writing this the tears are streaming down my face. Just having  a pity me day. I think I will do the same as you and see someone twice a year privately at least I won't feel a nuisance at the GP. 

Take a breath …once you have made an appointment you will have someone on board that understands your fears and you will have an anchor instead of buzzing around in orbit !! Which is what I was like. Please also consider counselling or at least get on the nhs waiting list. Take one step at a time xx

Thank you for your kindness. I am going to make myself a coffee and put some nice moisturiser on my face and body. Try and make myself feel a bit better . 

I'm so sorry to hear about the anxiety you are suffering with but totally understand as I've suffered also, like most in this group. It becomes isolating because GPs and even family members don't understand the anxiety it causes. 

As a practical help that might be useful to you (or anyone else that reads this), in between Dermatology appointments or in trying to persuade GPs to take our concerns seriously - I use the Skin Vision app. Download to your phone, you are given some free photo's to submit for review / or it is a reasonable annual charge to submit as many photos as you like. It keeps track of all the changes to the spots/lesions you register and all photos are reviewed by a panel of Dermatologists. If a lesion is suspicious you will receive a report to present to your GP.

My Dermatologist was slightly sceptical of the three lesions I presented her with, that were confirmed by Skin Vision to be suspected. The biopsies showed all were BCC's and 2 infiltrating. I was given treatment for the one and booked on to a waiting list for Mohs surgery for the other two. 

I've read a lot of research papers since my first Mohs operations in 2017 and treatment of melanoma with Colloidal Silver high ppm had showed good results. I now put a squirt of this in with my daily moisturiser which is also SPF 30. I have been very lucky in that since the biopsies in 2022 I have had no further regrowth on any of the lesions so didn't have the Mohs surgery and they are currently being monitored every 6 months. 

Thank you will take a look at the skin vision app. Will also look at the colloidal silver. Could I ask where you get this from? 

It took me a while to come to terms with my melanoma diagnosis, luckily it was stage 1a. But with more bcc lesions appearing it has just brought back all my original worries. 

Night time is the worst when the what if's kick in. Trying mindfulness but it's hard. 

I just bought the highest PPM Colloidal Silver I could find on Amazon .. it is only 150 ppm and wasn't an expensive item and have been using for the last year and still have a bit left. The way I looked at it .. it doesn't cost much and it can't hurt and hopefully does some good - and in my case that seems to be true

Yes the nights can be terrible churning things over in your mind, so meditation and mindfulness is really good for that also. For me I used the headspace app (I think there are free headspace videos on Netflix also) 

I guess for me it was using these things that made me feel I could take control a little bit again ... As the fear of cancer and what ifs really takes over ... I feel that facial skin cancer is particularly hard because of the fear of how it changes 'you.' How you visualise yourself and how others visualise you and the changes associated with that. I was scared my partner would stop loving me. GP's and people who haven't gone through that process don't seem to have the empathy and it was reading posts on here that gave me comfort ... That it wasn't just me! 

Big virtual hugs X 

I can understand the worry over facial cancer. We all care how we look. If that makes me shallow so be it. I put my make up each day and try to make the best of myself. I have just taken a photo of the bump/lesion on my cheek and sent it to Dermatology . If that needs to come off it will be noticeable. Will have to see what they say. I hate getting older, I seem to be growing lumps and bumps everywhere.  Skin tags, keratosis ....oh the joys. I call them my barnacles. How I am supposed to be able to identify each and every lesion is beyond me. 

I think the app you mentioned would be very useful. Once I have seen Dermatology on the nhs for my bcc removal  and been discharged will use it. I won't feel so alone. 

Hugs xx

You are right when you say we all care about how we look.  It's not shallow to be concerned that facial surgery will change the way we look and Mohs surgery is used for the face for that very reason. My scar is still healing, but it has decreased greatly over the last 6 months.  I was told I might not see the end result for up to a year.  I use concealer along with my makeup and it seems to do a fairly good job.

The other thing that has bothered me about my facial scar is that every time I look at my face it is a reminder of my skin cancer.  The other scars I have from biopsies and surgeries are often covered by my clothes and I'm not reminded of them as often.  Out of sight,out of mind I guess. 

And yes, getting older is hard enough without having all the skin cares.  I am covered with those skin tags and keratoses as well and finally bought a dermascope.  My doc taught me how to use it and to recognize the difference between a keratosis and a growth with melanocytes and that has helped with the bumps I have that are new or growing.  The keratoses look very different (cauliflower like) and the moles have dark rods in them that are the melanocytes.  Any new growth with melanocytes takes me right to the doctor as well as anything else that looks weird. I have a skin exam with my doc every 6 months also.  That skin vision app sounds wonderful as well.  I don't know if that is available in the States but I will try to find out.

Sometimes we have to fight pretty hard to advocate for ourselves, especially if our doctors dismiss our worries as nothing and they turn out to be significant.  It's happened to both of us and many others as well.  I finally found a Dermatologist who understands the paranoia of having had several types of skin cancer and seems very willing to take time to listen.

Stay Strong XXX