Has anyone here had a skin cancer removal?

Hi everyone

So i found out on Monday that i have skin cancer my doctor used alot of big words so basically all i really got was that its skin cancer and i need it removed right away so they booked me in to have it done today, i have already had the cancer thing there for about a year now i wasn't sure what it was tried to pick it a few times (ew i know im weird) but it couldn't actually be picked at, and on holidays recently i got sunburnt in the spot numerous times and then noticed it was getting really dark so i finally decided is get the doctor to take a look, wasn't expecting that though. Anyway she didn't tell me how they are going to remove it or give me any info, i get bad anxiety and its bad right now and im feeling nauseous thinking about it! So im wondering if anyone has had a removal of skin cancer before and if it was painfull, if they got a scar etc andif it stayed away with no on going problems or it popping up again!

I was thinking of taking colloidal silver incase it can leave other cancer cells anywhere but from what i know skin cancer is different like that rather than internal cancers that spread through the body?

Any feedback on anyone else's experiences would be great right now!

Thanks!
Shana

I haven't had skin cancer, but two of my loved ones have had melanoma this year. One let theirs go for about 7-8 months. It was slow growing and when the doctor removed it he was able to get clear margins. No other treatment was needed. Healing time was about 8 weeks. No disfigurement because the minor reconstruction needed was done at the time of removal. The other had theirs for about 3 years, it metastasized and spread. They have lost their nose, half an ear, and huge amounts of skin off their shoulder. Two years of chemo and radiation and they are still battling cancer.

Don't wait! Don't let fear paralyze you. Let your fear push you into action. Prayers and hugs!

Edit: Second loved one also had reconstructive surgery on their nose and it looks really good.

Depending on the kind of cancer (I'm presuming they won't have to go deep) they'll take an ellipse of skin out and close it up; you'll have a small scar a bit bigger than the original lesion.

They have to go deep enough to take out the underlying tissue to get a good margin and the pathology report will tell whether this negative margin (no cancer on the edges) was achieved.

If the doc mentioned "Moh's surgery" this is what they were talking about and is for surface cancers, not ones that typically go deeper.

If you have a malignant melanoma, that's another story.

a reply to: Shana91aus

its skin cancer and i need it removed right away so they booked me in to have it done today

Just a short note while you're still on-line to say, "Lucky you!!"

Get it removed. Yeah, I've been there before you. It hurts after ... deal with it. We'll talk about mine later if you want.

I have had skin cancer twice.
Oh ... and I also have anxiety issues with medical stuff.

You didn't say what kind of skin cancer?
Melanoma? Basil Cell? Squamous?
And where is it on the body? How big?

Melanoma is the deadly kind.
The other two are slow movers and can kill but it takes a longer while.

Generally, depending on the size, the site is numbed up and the skin cancer is cut out in the office. They cut around the cancer, going out a certain distance from it. I think it's like 1/2 an inch out but I"m not sure. You are stitched up there and gauze put on the spot. A week later you get the stitches out. The piece that is cut out is sent to a lab to test the edges to see if it was all gotten or not. If the edges are clear, there is no more cutting. If the edges come back 'not normal' then they cut more again.

I used blood root AKA indian mud for mine and it turned out good...Very little scarring.

I've had a few removed in suspect of skin cancer(lucky turned out benign). Being lazered off. Left no scar, did not need stitches even. An earlier one was cut out but was deeper in the skin-with an instrument such as see here, but the lighter than skin colored blotch scar is barely noticeable.

a reply to: Shana91aus

If they tell you its cancer then you will have to bite the bullet and remove it. If its just one then great. They will check for others and you must check periodically too, for a while. Stand in front of a mirror and use a hand mirror to see the places you can't look directly. Look over every inch and every tuck and corner.

If you see anything have them check it. Even if sure you got them all you want to be observant in case it comes back.

a reply to: signalfire

im actually not sure what type it is she did say but i didn't get the word i had to get her to explain what it meant and she said skin cancer- but i know it wasn't Melanoma it wasn't that word so thats good!

Ouch going deep doesn't sound very nice!! mine i thought was a pimple or something at first but then it spread and i dont really get pimples at all any more let alone on my body so it has a kind of pimple appearance it is raised and very dark it has redness around it but it doesn't hurt at all even when i touch it and stuff no pain which is what i thought was weird too because most sores or even pimples etc there would be a bit of pain there when trying to get rid of it .

thankyou for your reply

a reply to: 2gd2btru

I am sorry to hear that you still have a loved one battling the cancer, i have seen alot of people get it on their nose that looks like one painfull spot to have to have it removed from!!

yeah im definitely just going to let them get it off this afternoon i just hope they have some kind of numbing stuff first, tattoos and needles etc i am fine with but digging in to my skin to remove something is a whole different thing all together!!

i do hope it doesnt scar because it is on my chest! near my shoulder

a reply to: Shana91aus

As with the rest of us that have been there you're going to have to be more vigilant in the future.

I'm guessing you've got a BCC (Basal Cell Carcinoma). If that's the case then you should mentally prepare yourself for more in years to come.

Get into the habit of having a 6 monthly full body skin check. It just becomes part of your life from now on in.

Kind Regards & best of luck
Myselfaswell

a reply to: Shana91aus

You're welcome They'll numb it up good and before you get home, take some ibuprofen or whatever works best for you and that will kick in before the novocaine wears off.

You can ask them to explain what kind it is to you and what kind it *isn't* which is important also. They'll put you on whole body skin screens from now on every so many months or years.

a reply to: Snarl

Thanks Snarl, i really am trying to just get over it and all that i mean i have had 3 c sections 3 other surgeries, you think this would be nothing for me ! But it sounds awful!

Heck, this will be a piece of cake compared to what you've already gone through! Probably no worse than those tattoos

a reply to: Shana91aus

I've had melanoma and basil cell removed. Huge chunk taken off my chest and a scared up nose.

Character to spare...as an actor it even helps me get roles. Not the hero type but villains, homeless, junkies, drunks or other types of reprobates.

a reply to: FlyersFan

i will find out the type when i am in there this afternoon i really wish i had gotten her to write it down now, i am always only paying half attention when in with my doctor i always have my kids trying to get in to everything while trying to discuss all my issues its great fun.. they said they will biopsy it all too confirm the type they believe it is etc.

its about a cm big with all the redness and everything and it has begun to spread so not that big right now, it wasn't that big to start with thats why i wasn't even really that worried at first i thought skin cancer was more like a sun spot looking thing like darkened skin. its on my chest near my shoulder and arm just below my collar bone, im glad its not melaoma i know that is a big deal here in Australia with our super strong sun.. thankyou for the info if they numb it then i wont be so worried, im really hoping the edges come back normal then!

One of my best friends is an oncologist. He carries his work to every dinner party. When I talked to him about my loved ones he let me know how far they have come over the past 5 years in skin cancer treatment. Clear margins are now smaller/narrower to allow easier healing.

The surgeon excises 0.5-1 centimeter of the normal skin surrounding the tumor and takes off the skin layers
down to the fat.

In removing an invasive melanoma that is 1 mm or less in Breslow’s thickness, the margins of surrounding skin are extended to 1 cm and the excision goes through all skin layers and down to the fascia (the layer of tissue covering the muscles).

If the melanoma is 1.01 to 2 mm thick, a margin of 1-2 cm is taken.

If the melanoma is 2.01 mm thick or greater, a margin of 2 cm is taken.


Educating people to do self examinations like others have mentioned is huge in early detection.

Let us know how it goes. I'll check by here throughout the week.

a reply to: dreamingawake

in that picture in the link you posted mine is looking more like the last one but slightly darker it started off that colour but got alot darker after being burnt a couple times... silly me i always cover my kids in sunscreen and forget about myself, i think because i don't actually fully burn i tan the day after burning and dont peel so in my head i guess i figured i just had good skin, yeah right! that tool doesn't look too intimidating!

a reply to: intrptr

That is good advice, thankyou! I haven't actually checked myself for any more as this is what has had my attention because i see it on my chest everyday but i will do that.

a reply to: signalfire

do you think i should take the pain killers before actually going in? i don't usually take alot of pain killers but i think i am really going to need them after this especially with it being on my chest, its just such a tender spot!

Heck, this will be a piece of cake compared to what you've already gone through! Probably no worse than those tattoos

haha yes i hope its not much worse, tattoo's i can handle they dont really go deep and its just a nice consistent penetration of the skin, with this well it sounds really invasive like theyre going to take some huge chunk out of my chest! i feel like the biggest sook ever! i can do this though!

thanks for making me feel a bit better too!