Recently diagnosed with Basal Cell Carcinoma

Hi.

So sorry to hear about your diagnosis.

Please don't ever hesitate to ask any questions at all. They're never silly and will always be respected and understood on this forum. Also, the search facility is great and the questions you're asking are so understandable and may easily have come up before.

And of course there are more than a few regular contributors whose knowledge is frankly awesome! Their compassionate advice never ceases to educate a newcomer like me, ease my stress and give me hope.

Take care and warmest wishes.

Hi Teach6019d8 and welcome to our corner of the online community.

I had a basal cell carcinoma (BCC) removed from my chest a few years ago and it's not a silly question to wonder how worried you should be.

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common type of skin cancer but most BCCs are very slow-growing, low-risk skin cancers. They almost never spread to other parts of the body and nearly everyone who has treatment for a BCC is completely cured.

Unfortunately, you are more likely to get skin cancer again but you can help to reduce your chances by being safe in the sun. By that I mean:

1. Staying out of the sun during the strongest time of the day (11am to 3pm) between April and October inclusive in the UK and in all months of the year in any other part of the world
2. When going outside wear long sleeved tops and trousers/skirts made from natural fibres like cotton
3. Wear a broad brimmed hat (brim should be at least 3 inches) and sun glasses
4. Sit in the shade and never sunbathe 
5. Any part of your body that is not covered, ie face, neck, back of hands should have a sun protection cream of SPF 50 that is effective against both UVA and UVB rays
6. Re-apply the sunscreen as directed on the bottle
7. Never use sunbeds
8. Don't use sunscreen instead of covering up

The first summer after I was diagnosed was particularly hard as I used to enjoy sitting in the sun. However, I quickly got used to the new regime and have a selection of hats to choose from when I go out. I also decided that I now needed a whole new wardrobe so went on a shopping spree. So, every cloud has a silver lining!

Let us know how you get on

Anne

Thank you so much for your advice, Anne. I love the sun too so changing habits will need getting used to. Thank you for taking the time to reply. Really appreciate it, 

Thank you for replying to me, I will have a look at the search facility. I really appreciate your advice. 

Oh, you're so welcome!

Hi I had a mole excsion on Sunday on neck might be a bcc results in 6 to 8 weeks. I'm on melanoma surveillance but also had thyroid cancer. It is all scary but bcc rarely spread just the case of getting it removed. I'm off work recovering as have physical job.

Gosh, that's such a heavy load. Could hardly be more scary.

I'm really pleased you've got rid of that nasty mole and hope when you get them the results are good.

Please make the most of your time off work and have a bit of fun if possible. You surely deserve it!

Thyroid cancer sounds scary.  I hope your results are positive.