Results: Basal Cell Carcinoma

This afternoon the surgeon called and told me that the results of the biopsy showed that I have BCC, or Basal Cell Carcinoma of the eyelid. BCC is the most common form of skin cancer, and although a cancer diagnosis is never good, if one has to have some form of cancer, this is one of the best forms to have, because it's rarely life-threatening and is generally quite treatable. BCCs can become locally invasive and can cause disfigurement and permanent skin damage if left untreated, though, so prompt treatment is important. The only tricky thing about this BCC is the location: it's on my eyelid. That sounds so innocuous, doesn't it? When the PA at my dermatologist's finally agreed with the self-diagnosis that I'd made almost a year ago, I didn't understand why she immediately referred me to an oculoplastic surgeon. So when I got home, I Googled "lower eyelid cancer surgery" Images. Oh. Well then. OK. I see the need for the referral to an oculoplastic surgeon, because basically, the oculoplastic surgeon has to reconstruct the eyelid after the tumor is removed. 

I'm trying to balance out the positive and negative aspects of this. One of the negative things is that I've had this growth for well over a year, but one of the positives it that it seems to be nodular rather than flat and diffuse, and I think that's a big plus in terms of removal. Because I've had this so long, apparently it's more likely to recur, however, now I know what to look for. I'm grateful that I live in a place where I have access to excellent doctors who have experience doing this type of procedure.

I've been going to a dermatologist's office for annual skin cancer checks for over 20 years. I've just learned that eyelids are one of the most common sites for skin cancers to occur in fair skinned people, but not once in the 20+ years I've been going for skin checks has anyone thought to examine my eyelids. You've seen the pics of my eyelid. This BCC is just a tiny, pearly lump on the surface of my lower eyelid. It never bled or crusted over. It didn't hurt. The 2 main symptoms for me were loss of eyelashes where the tumor was growing, and a noticeable blood vessel going to the center of the tumor. It looked so innocuous that even when I made a special appointment 2 months after my annual visit and said the reason for my visit was that I'd been a bad patient and spent time on the net and was pretty sure this was a skin cancer, no one took me seriously, and it took 7 more months for anyone to believe me and biopsy it and confirm that it was indeed a BCC that must be removed, and the sooner the better. So, please, monitor yourselves.