Three skin cancers on face

Hi Lovelife17 and a very warm welcome to the online community which I hope you'll find is both an informative and supportive place to be.

I'm sorry to read that you've recently been diagnosed with melanoma along with two BCCs on your face. I've had a melanoma removed from my arm, a BCC from my chest and a suspicious mole from my back. Fortunately the suspicious mole was just an abnormal mole.

For most people skin cancer is caused my too much exposure to the sun over a long period of time. It can also be caused by use of sunbeds.

It would be great if you could pop something about your diagnosis and treatment so far into your profile as it really helps others when replying to you and also when looking for someone on a similar pathway. It also means that you don't have to keep repeating yourself. To do this click on your username and then select 'Profile'. You can amend it at any time and if you're not sure what to write you can take a look at mine by clicking on my username.

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Hi Lovelife17. Sorry to be late in replying but I just saw your post.  I have had different types of skin cancer over the years; thin melanoma on my thigh 17 years ago,, Lentigo Maligna on my arm 13 years ago, and now a BCC on my face as well as a several AKs , one on the face now as well.  I think that sun damage occurs several years after exposure and often, these lesions pop up all at once.  My Dermatologist advised me to be extra vigilant at this window of time since more BCCs may occur now.  He actually removed another little patch on my face thinking it might have been a Lentigo Maligna.  Happily, it was a simple Solar Lentigo.  Still, the wait for the 4 weeks biopsy was very difficult.  I understand your stress and please don't feel "singled out" in this fight.  Many here are in the same boat and we are here to help each other with advice and support.

Sending Hugs XXX

Hello,  I just read your story and I certainly can relate.  I am 69 years old and have had 6 basal cells removed from my face over 20 years.  I was a huge sun worshipper in my teens and now coming back to haunt me.  All have been removed with Mohs surgery and although there are scars they are basically invisible.  I always keep wondering where the ext one will pop up.  

I worshiped the sun as well; did the baby oil thing.  I could never get tan enough, but back then nobody even suggested that the sun could cause skin cancer so I guess we can forgive ourselves.  Sorry to hear about your bout with BCCs on your face and I'm glad that the scars are minimal.  My mohs surgery was done well also and the scar is small.  I too worry about the next one on my face or another melanoma popping up somewhere.  I love to garden and hike and now I worry probably way too much about sun exposure.  I cover up in the heat of summer and also wear sunscreen even if outside a few minutes.  I think I'm too paranoid about it all and I hope that my worry will change with time.  Skin cancer has changed the way I see myself; both physically and mentally, but all we can do really is stay vigilant and take precaution when out in the sun.  There are so many of of us in this boat that share the same feelings and worries.  It's good that we can relate.

Hi Just read your story.  I have had 2 bcc's removed from my face 2 years ago with quite drastic plastic surgery.  I too was told it is sun damage BUT I am not a sun worshipper, holiday in this country, and always use high protection sun cream.  My Consultant did tell me when you reach my age 73 most people will get one of these in their lifetime, and he did tell me with having 2, I am more likely to get more.  What joy eh.  I am constantly checking my skin for the tiniest change and wear Factor 50 suncream from March until end of November as told to do so by him.  Good luck and you will find this site is amazing and someone always ready to listen and help if they can xx

Like you, Harlyn,  I find that I'm checking my face in the magnifying mirror every day, looking for any tiny change.  I also have gone from watchful waiting concerning any new or changing spots on my skin to full on just remove it please.  My melanoma developed in a mole I'd had for over 10 years and my Lentigo Maligna (melanoma in situ) was looked at by several Dermatologists who dismissed it as a plain Lentigo for 3 years.  Neither of these aroused any suspicion and were only removed on my request.   I'm a retired nurse educator and I have seen skin lesions on my patients that look very different from one person to the next.  So I'm relieved that my new Dermatologist says if I have a bad feeling about something on my skin, she will remove it.   The BCC on my upper nasal sidewall concerned both of us and rather than observing  6 more lesions that were new or changing that I noticed, she opted to remove them.   It turned out that 3 were atypical moles and 3 were Grover's Disease lesions; ( red, burning and crusty spots that would not heal, one near my ear that we both thought could be another BCC ).   Since that visit in July, I have broken out with Grover's all over my abdomen, so we are both happy to have had those biopsies done and have moved on to trying to treat Grover's..  So I think patients sometimes, but not always, know themselves best and maybe it's not so bad to check ourselves often and speak up for ourselves if we have concerns.  I just don't want to become too obsessive with it all and I'm having trouble finding a "happy medium" right now.  Maybe with time I'll stop seeing a wolf around every corner.