Today, I saw two different stories about celebrities who were diagnosed with skin cancer, in this case, basal cell carcinoma. As mentioned in a previous post, basal cell carcinoma is the most frequently diagnosed skin cancer. While not usually deadly, it can be disfiguring if not caught in time.
Bethanny Frankel had a growth under her eye removed that turned out to be basal cell carcinoma. She mentioned that she will undergo Mohs surgery to remove the rest of the lesion. This type of surgery is considered to be the most effective option to remove both basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas. Basically, the surgeon removes the thinnest layer of skin, checks it under the microscope for cancer cells, and continues the process until there are no cancer cells detected. Unlike my excision, it is designed to remove as little bit of the healthy tissue as possible.
Melanie Griffiths also had basal cell carcinoma removed recently from her nose. It is a recurrence of skin cancer that she previously had removed a number of years ago.
The thread here is that both of these women had skin cancer on their faces, which for people who make their livings based in some part on their looks, has to be a difficult situation. Fortunately, the Mohs surgery option is an option that minimizes the scar that results from removal. I wish both of these two women luck and healthy outcomes.
Did you know your chance of developing a nonmelanoma skin cancer in your lifetime is about one in five, according to experts at SkinCancer.org? The best prevention is to avoid UV rays – whether in a tanning bed or outside. Use sunscreen and make sure to do those skin checks to find something before it grows to a point where it does cause disfigurement.