Possibly melanoma, trying to be brave

Hi Pricilla  I know it is hard, but try and stay positive.  I have had 2 bcc's on my face, surgically removed by skin flap and skin graft surgery, so know how you are feeling, very scared, like I was.  My gp didn't know if they were bcc's, scc's or melanoma, but he did say he was sure it was not melanoma.  Luckily mine were bcc's as yours might be.  Being as you have had them for a while, and biopsies take a few weeks to come through, perhaps it would be a good idea to have your holiday and look at things on your return.  Mine were so unsightly for months and I was so upset but my plastic surgeon assured me all would be well in time, and he was right.  It is nearly 3 years now and scars hardly visible.  I am not a sun worshipper, never used a sun bed and always used suncream, but I was 73 and he did say they are age related too, from damage in our younger days.  This site is so supportive as I found out when I was so low and worried. Bupa told me to get in tuch with them and I thought what for skin cancer and she yes, you will surprised.  I was so glad I toook their advice and went through my trauma with other people in the same boat as me and we helped one another along the way.  Keep in touch and feel free to ask me anything you want to.  Good Luck xx

Thank you for your reply. Like you I’m not a sun worshipper and I’ve never used sunbeds. I am very fair skinned though with red hair and freckles. I’m rarely ill and was told previously my lesion was nothing to worry about. I only went to the dermatologist as I thought it was unsightly and wanted it removed so this has all came as a shock.

My own experience:

I'd had this "thing" - hyper-pigmentation I was told - on my left lower cheek/jaw getting gradually bigger very gradually for at least 10 years. I have had numerous visits to GP over the years to examine various marks on various parts of my body - I have a fair skin and lots of faint freckles. NOT a sun worshipper at all.

On one of these occasions summer 2022 GP looked at one on my back (seborrheic keratosis - I've loads of them) and I asked him re my face - "oh that's ONLY cosmetic, NHS won't do anything, you could pay alot of money privately and be scarred for life" ... very off-putting. Later I was to find out he'd not even recorded looking at this as no mention in my notes! Spring 2023 went again and saw what turned out to be a locum GP - he said he wasn't an expert but would send me to one. So next was a (locum) Consultant at local hospital - that's NOT cancer he pronounced and prescribed a cream, return in 3 months. To cut a LONG story short in September, a day before I was due to go on a cruise to Canada I went to get the results of a biopsy (requested by said consultant saying now he still didn't think it was cancer ...). It was a malignant melanoma. I was mortified, extremely scared and had a severe panic attack ... and didn't go away (travel insurance still on-going .... that's another story!).

Anyway my point is I was very worried re how long I'd had this ... but it turned out to be a Stage 1B. I had it removed November 2023 and it was quite a large area that needed to be removed - so the plastic surgeon had to do a flap and 23 stitches. It looked a right mess when my dressings came off 10 days later. Gradually it has improved out of all recognition and most people don't even notice it and it's appearance certainly doesn't bother me. I still massage it with Boots scar cream morning and night as a small part of it isn't completely flat yet but most of it I can tell it's there. I use sun protection 50 every day. Because the lymph node couldn't be located and removed I have ultrasound scans every 3 months and now 6 months and I have a body check every 6 months.

Best wishes ... by the way I was treated at Christies Manchester and they are absolutely wonderful ... I'm back there next week for another scan.

Thank you, I’m so pleased that you are healing well. I made the mistake of reading Dr google and scared myself. Experience like yours is much more reassuring.