What happens once you have basal cell carcinoma?

Treatment: Basal cell carcinoma is a very common type of skin cancer. Once you have been diagnosed, the lesion is typically removed. This is commonly done by dermatologists and plastic surgeons. In some cases, medical treatments can be used if surgery is not a good option. These lesions rarely spread, but can be locally aggressive. Prognosis for these lesions is generally pretty good.

Remove it: If untreated it will continue to grow and invade surrounding structures. Otherwise removal can include chemical, electrical, cryotherapy, curettage, and surgical eradication.

Excision: Basal cells need to be excised surgically. This can often be done under local anesthesia, but may require a trip to the surgery center or operating room depending on the size, location, etc. The outlook for basal cells is good. They almost never metastasize, so once they are removed properly, they generally don't reccur.

Follow up: I agree with the discussion about excision of basal cell carcinomas, but you should also be very diligent about follow up. The statistics say that once you have had one bcc you have about a 30% chance of getting another (this does not have to be in the same area as the first bcc). After a second bcc the chances go up to 65% and after three, it is 85%. The best prevention is to use uv protection.

Can be cured: Basal cell carcinoma can be cured by local excision. The risk of recurrence is low. However, if a person has one basal cell carcinoma, he/she may develop other lesions and should be on the look out of new nodules or ulcers of the skin.

Treatment: Treatment varies from topical chemo for superficial bcc to excision and/or radiation. Once your bcc has been treated it is important to have your skin checked on a yearly basis as you are at increased risk of developing more of these.