EYE EYE - I wasn’t expecting THAT!

⚠️ Content warning with talk of cancer⚠️

This little sod of a scab.

Okay peeps, seatbelt on! This blog is going to take you for a drive into the wild world of skin issues, and the star of the show is none other than basal cell carcinoma (BCC), skin cancer.

Now, please don’t worry; I’m not here to scare you into becoming a hermit who avoids the sun like Dracula. No, we’re just going to chat about the basics with a sprinkling of my Queendom and sarcastic sense of humour, so where shall start – how about with my face!

You’re probably wondering, “why start with YOUR face Vic?” Well thats because that what you see in the picture below is MY face and the uninvited guest BCC and how did it end up there ? Well, I’m going to blame my younger me and my love of the sun and a suntan, because it is the most likely cause for it. Oh trust me, since my mid 30’s I have been a factor 50 girl and a sun hat wearing human but the younger me, oh no, a sun bed, a low grade sun factor cream, you name it, all those things we wish we had listened to as a younger person.

I can blame it on the sun – that tanning salon I couldn’t seem to quit. UV rays are like the clingy ex of our skin cells, causing DNA damage and giving birth to these basal cell carcinoma troublemakers and yet, all the time I knew it wasn’t good for me, I carried on, addicted to a tan.

If you’ve had more sunburns than you can count, if you’re on the paler skin spectrum or if like me you’re in the “I’ve got skin that tans easily so I’m immune – hold the pep talk” club, congrats – you’ve got a backstage pass to the BCC party. Oh, and having a family history of skin cancer? It’s like winning the genetic lottery, but not in a good way. And I DON”T have a family history.

So lets talk symptoms
Now, the signs that BCC might be crashing your face’s party. Picture this: open sores that refuse to heal, pink or red patches playing peek-a-boo, and tiny bumps or nodules staging their own mini rebellion. It’s like your face decided to host a weird skincare circus, and BCC is the main act.

And hey, if your skin is doing a fantastic impression of a scar but hasn’t been to the fight, it might be time to ring the alarm bells. Keep an eye out for any suspicious changes – your face’s drama radar is officially on high alert. Don’t do a me and think a daily does of savlon antiseptic cream will clear this little bugger up! It may calm it down a day or so and then just like that uninvited guest, here it comes again with a bottle of pop pretending its on the guest list.

Treatment Options
I hear you, enough with the doom and gloom Vic, what’s the cure? The good news is, basal cell carcinoma is as treatable as Friday night take-away craving. When it comes to evicting these unwelcome guests from your face, the options are diverse (and here is the research and link form skincancer.org

https://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information/basal-cell-carcinoma/bcc-treatment-options/

Options include:

Curettage and electrodesiccation (electrosurgery)
Mohs surgery
Excisional surgery
Radiation therapy
Photodynamic therapy
Cryosurgery
Laser surgery
Topical medications
Medications for advanced BCC

Having ignored mine (or thought it was going to go away on it’s own) I am off for some surgery which will include flap reconstruction. Think of it as an eviction notice for BCC – snip, snip, and it’s outta there! Flap reconstruction is another type of skin graft – before any of your minds went elsewhere – the cat doesn’t not get a new home on my face!

So, there you have it, my friends. Basal cell carcinoma on your face might sound like a horror story, but armed with EARLY detection and a touch of humour, you can tackle it like the hero you are. Remember, your face – in fact your skin, your body your mind, is your VIP and don’t let anything ruin the party.

Keep an eye on things that don’t look normal, lumps and bumps, your skin, slap on that sunscreen (yes and a high factor), and face the world with the confidence of someone who knows they’ve got this!