Basal Cell Carcinomas (BCCs)

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• Most common and least dangerous types of skin cancer

• Very low chances of spreading anywhere else besides locally

• Grows slowly

• More commonly found on sun exposed areas

• May recur even with adequate treatment

• Normally present as: a pearly red lump, a scaly/rough spot, a spot that bleeds with minimal trauma, a white reddish patch of skin, a spot with black dots/lines (less common)

• Treatment modalities will depend on type of BCC and include cryotherapy (freezing), use of creams that destroy the cancerous tissue, electrodissection, cauthery and curettage or surgical removal of lesion (best method).

Multiple BCCs can be seen in the image above (on left, center and right). Patient had more than 10 BCCs on full body examination 

Some BCCs might be hard to identify and look just like a red spot, scratch mark or pimple. That's why it is so important to have a full body skin check and have your lesions examined with a dermoscope. 

Nodular BCCs are the easiest to spot. They normally have the classic nodular, pearly look with noticeable blood vessels (teleangiectasis). 

Pigmented BCCs can also be hard to distinguish from a normal mole or age spot and can only be differentiated with adequate dermoscopy as well. 

All photos are courtesy of Dr Lucas de Siqueira