Can you tell me if either squamous or basal cell carcinomas blanch?

Usually not: Skin lesions that "blanch" mean the color goes out of them when you press a glass slide on the lesion. This occurs in lesions that get their color from blood supply. Usually skin cancers don't blanch. Squamous cell carcinomas are usually scaly and basal cell carcinomas look like a nodule with a little bite out of the center. Blanching or not, the only way to tell for sure is a biopsy.