Has anyone else had a longstanding BCC before treatment?

Hi smorris025064 and a very warm welcome to the group which I hope you'll find is both an informative and supportive place to be.

I’m Anne, one of the Community Champions here on the Online Community and, although I've had a couple of BCCs removed, I don't think either had been there for a long time. I noticed that your post hadn't had any replies yet. Responding to you will 'bump' it back to the top of the discussion list again.

Hi,

I have had a long standing red patch on my arm... I'm talking many years... not big... like a little sun spot... in July this year, it bleed a little, then scabbed... the scab fall off and then re scabbed.... i saw the Dermatologist on Thursday this week who said it was suspicious, never did a biopsy... just said they will remove it!... I was looking at BCC's ans SCC's on Dr Google.... iv not been told if its either yet... I was expecting to wait 4 to 6 weeks for an appointment, but I get a phone call yesterday to say they have a cancellation and I'm having it removed tomorrow!... its being done under a local... my concern is how deep is is, it's about 5mm in diameter.... I think they take out margins, then test it!... then if they need to go in again it's done under a general and they then do skin graft... both BCC and SCC are slow growing, but my biggest concern is as I have had the patch many years, could it have spread into other areas... 

Hi

i had a dent in my chin and pearly bump for ages like 29 years and had been told it was nothing.  By chance in January a private dermatologist told me it needed to be excised . I was told ok to be done on nhs. I saw nhs dermatologist in March who thought it was a simple nodular bcc and would remove it June/July. This didn’t happen and I was told by booking office next February 2026.

i decided to go privately and found a plastic surgeon in August who excised the lesion early September.  It was an aggressive subtype of bcc when the histology came back. He gave me a flap reconstruction and one month on it is healing well. 
I wish you all the best 

I’m lucky to have had the money to pay privately and get treated quickly. Mine was 12 x 15mm in the end and had grown since January  

i did try to have a MOHs procedure but the earliest would be in November

hope this helps. 

I also had an itchy pink spot on tip of nose. I noticed it February of this year. I had a biopsy in May. The report says it is Infiltrative Basal Cell. The part of the tumour they took out was up to 1.5mm in parts. I am still waiting to be seen for further treatment.  I too am worried that it is growing all the time. And we don’t have many millimetres of skin on our nose.  

They have just told me they think it’s a bcc near my eye, but I will have to wait at least 8 weeks for removal. They don’t seem to care that it’s blurring my vision and blocking my tear duct. I’m so worried it will be underneath my eye.

I’ve had photos but no consultation with dermatology, looks like there will be no discussion about treatment just scheduling for the cheapest option they are saying standard excision but I know MOHs is the Recommended treatment for Bcc near eye. I’m so worried as my mum had a lot of disfiguring surgery with hers.

Should I go private

can anyone give me rough costs of removal privately 

In total my excision and histology cost £2500 that’s all appointments including initial one and hospital cost I self referred myself 

it was done by a brilliant plastic surgeon who is also a skin cancer lead at local hospital with clear margins though it was infiltrative.  
I wish you well. 

where did you have it done Doff if you dont mind me asking x

Thank you for responding. I’ll start looking for somewhere x

I don’t know how to private message you Harlyn,but I live in Hampshire/Surrey borders 

Hey,

I first noticed a patch on my scalp around 6 years ago. My GP diagnosed it as psoriasis, I went back several times over the years as it just wouldn't heal and my hairdresser was concerned about it. Due to me having another autoimmune condition, the GP was insistent that it was psoriasis and they refused to refer me any further.

Fast forward to 18 months ago, I started developing a large weaping scab and my hair started falling out. I went back to the GP with my husband for back up! Again, they were insistent it was Seborrheic Dermatitis this time and tried to send me home with shampoo and more steroids. This time I wasn't budging and managed to get referred.

Two weeks later I was diagnosed with a large, advanced infiltrative BCC 10 x 8cm.

I ended up having extensive Mohs followed by a plastic surgery reconstruction using grafts from my thigh. In the end it was 12 x 9cm, I now have permanent hair loss down the left side of my head and a severe mistrust of GP's!

A year on and I have developed another BCC a cm away from the last and I'm waiting for more surgery.

My consultant was horrified and confirmed it had been there for years.

Always, always push for a referral. GP's are not experts on skin cancer, skin cancer consultants are.

Wishing you all the best for the future from me and Steffi Graft!