oh boy, been where you are! I am 35 year old female who lives near the beach in Alabama. I had one little spot (bump, never bled, and was flesh colored) under my eye. Biopsy came back as basal cell and my dermatologist wanted me to try Aldara rather than mohs. Anyway, Aldara was terrible!!! Not only did it feel uncomfortable - it looked horrible!!! Anyway Dr. thought that it was cured it- turned out not (2 years later) went to surgeon for mohs surgery and through that biopsy found out I had mirco-nodular basal cell for which Aldara would not have "fixed" anyway. I had the Moh's surgery done on March 24, 2008, (they had to go in twice to remove tissue). I flipped once I saw incision, it was about two inches long and it looked bad for maybe first month. Now it is still pink, (it will fade) and once it fades it will really be hard to see. I guess my advice is have the surgery, aldara is not always successful, surgeons see a lot of aldara "failure" and in the time it would have taken to complete the aldara treatment your incision from mohs surgery will be well on its way to being healed and all cancer will have been removed.
Whatever you decide, good luck!
Steph
Thanks - you all are so encouraging!
I just had Mohs surgery on the lower side of my nose eight days ago. They had to go in twice for tissue and then grafted skin from my inner ear onto it. The hole was the size of a pencil eraser. When I saw it the other day - I was surprised - the scar is almost an inch long. I'm hoping I'm as lucky as all of you! The penalty we pay for sitting in the sun as a KID!!!
Bev
It's so encouraging to hear from others. I am a 43-year-old that had Mohs surgery for bcc just 10 days ago. My bcc is on my left cheek. My dermatologist found it on a regular skin check, looked like a small red mark (I though it was an age spot) which was not raised, never bled, and was easily covered with makeup. He decided to biopsy just to be safe. Well, it was bcc. The day of my Mohs I felt very odd as I was the youngest person in the office filled with men and women having the same procedure. What was the size of the head of a pin resulted in an incision 1.5 inches long (2 stages to get it all). After 7 days, the stitches were removed, and the incision is still raised and pink. The actual incision is closed completely, but I now pray that my scar will become flat in time. I wear makeup daily, so a flat red line will be acceptable. A raised line will make me very self-conscious as it is on a very visible part of my face. I'd like to know more about the stages of skin healing so I know I'm heading in the right direction.
Hello Anonymous!
I am very pleased with my nose scar so far. I went back to the plastic surgeon this week and he said to give it four more months. It is a little indented now and he can fill it with fat tissue if I want to. He said that a shadowed scar is much more noticeable than a line scar. I will wait and see what happens. I don't think age really matters with bcc. When you sit in the waiting room and everyone is coming in and out - it's usually older people, but I have even seen chidlren with bcc. I am now going back every three months to have a "body check" for bcc. Good luck and keep in touch about your results!
Wow! I have to say that I was dx wih basal cell on the tip of my nose also! I am 46 yrs old and the thought of scare on my nose (like the ones you see on the internet) was just unthinkable to me! Call me vain but it's my nose & face & I am a pretty woman and work to maintain a youthful face & body. I was so scared that I called my plastic surgeon who referred me to the BEST DERM in California! Dr. Moy (from UCLA) is the BEST!! I went to see him for the consult this last Thursday & he saw how afraid I was & he was so comforting & kind that he did said "look...let's just do this now & be done with it!". Well before I could yes or no it was done! Way less pain than the biospy, only 1 swipe!!!! It appears 2 days later to be healing wonderfully & if there is a scar after it heals a little laser surgery and poof perfect!
As I never do "blogs" I felt it necessary to put this out there since my internet search for information only showed me the worst cases! They are not all bad! I mean it's horrible to have any cancer but skin cancer can be treated and cured if you follow through quickly! I was scared to death, but I did what had to be done & I am so thankful to have had doctors around me that did NOT allow me screw around and wait. I will post pictures soon and the progression of the healing as so others of you like me can see that you don't have lose your nose or face or have some horrible scaring because of the stupid Derms & primary care physicans out there! If you are diagnosised with basal cell or squamous cell on your face do the Mohs!!!! It's your best chance!!! Do it quickly & recheck with your doctor no less than twice a year!!! Good luck to you and do the Mohs! If your in California go see Dr. Moy @ UCLA you will NOT be sorry!!!! All the best Sandy
I had my basil cell removed from the tip of my nose a month ago.....I had a skin graft from my ear.....the tip of my nose is a differnet color....the edges where the stitching was is darker ...the center almost white....I am wondering about make up...???I live in Florida...and have always kept a tan////....I do not lay in the sun anymore..I just have stayed that way.....so here I am with a tanish face/and a white tip of my nose...:) should I try a tanner on that area...of give it time.....any ideas would be welcomed......
I too had a skin graft on the tip of my nose !!! the Skin graft was from my ear also....the tip of my nose is white....but basically it doesn't look as bad as I thought it would....I AM wondering if there will ever be any pigment there....as I work outside...and usually have some color...I always apply sunscreen when I get up.....
let us know how you make out.......
My ear was the sorest !!!!!
Thank you for replying....!!!!!!! I have an appointment with my dermatologist the end of this month...and will find out more about the care of a skin graft......!!!! When the surgen said "skin graft" I think I tuned out :) right now I am doing what you suggested and taking care of that area..., so it heals properly.....
thank you again.....
I had Mohs about a month ago...AND a graft..on the TIP of my nose !!!! I was wondering what yours looks like NOW ???? mine is white....on the tip....totally does not match the skin around it.....like I said it has been a month.....I wondered about a covering the white.....but the edges are a different color ????
I would so love to hear from you about what yours looks like now.....have you had any treatments....????what your follow up has been !!!!
Thanks...Marcy
Hi Marcy,
My scar on my nose looks pretty good now after four months. The skin was taken from my ear to cover the mohs, so it doesn't look as porous as the nose and a little indented. I will visit my plastic surgeon in a couple of months to see what he thinks. I don't think I will go any further - to me it looks pretty good and most people don't even notice it. The only problem - I believe I have another basal cell appearing in the crease beside my nose. It will be checked in a couple of weeks.
Bev
Stephanie
How is your scar now?? I am 42 and I was just diagnosed with Basal. My dermatologist referred me to an ophlamologist because it's under my eye. It turns out that this guy does NOT do Mohs. I'm nervous about a scar.
Can you tell me what type of doctor to see for Mohs? I am really nervous about this
hi i had mohs surgery on the bridge of my nose 3 weeks ago, the dortors name is dr. elizabeth hale in nyc 34st between 1&2nd.
she did a amazing jog, they had to go 5 layers deep so i literally had no nose, she opted not to do a skin graft, said that the flap is better in the long run, how right she was, its only 3 week and i havent even had 1 lazer treatment yet, i go dec 1st for lazer to remove a tiny scar & lighten up a lil redness, tis is all included in the procedue, she has hands of gold ! good luck
This "Patricia" aka "Pattie" may just be this doctor herself, oh she of the golden hands. She has posted all over this site as a proponent of this procedure. I see she even advertises her name and address. She has responded umpteen times to my own post and will not even let me have the last word on my own post, in which I told my story and advised people to consider less invasive options before doing Mohs, based on my experience. She now calls me a negative, argumentative person who brought my unhappy experience on myself by my negativity. For goodness sake!! Post at your own risk here - you too may be bedeviled by "Pattie" unless you are an unmitigated proponent of Mohs.
I had Mohs surgery on the tip of my nose with a skin graft from in front of my ear to cover in January, 6 months later it looks pretty good, but can't imagine a lifetime in front of a mirror trying to cover up, am left with a small scar, and irregular skin appearance along with white skin from skin graft. Considering how it started out it looks really great but I don't think that I can live with as it is. Was wondering which was better to correct the scars- laser or dermabrasion. Can anyone tell me if they have had any luck. I am a 51 year old woman, Also wish that the doctors could have advised me on a good concealor. Doctor has suggested we follow up with the dermabrasion but am not sure with the 2 week recovery time for it. Thanks for any help.
PLEASE!!!! DON"T let any physician tell you to do Dermabrasion!!!! The lazar is the way to go!!! It is a longer recovery period but with what you discribed dermabrasion WON'T work and you will have wasted you money, time & hope! I have done the micro derm and it doesn't do much but make a mess of your face break the small vessels on your face! I went to head of Dermatolgy at UCLA Dr Ronald Moy. Look him up. Dr Moy also carries all kinds of cover up make up for the face on his web site. My nose has a "dividt" and it bugs me but i was lucky it wasn't like yours, but I have decided to do the lasar in September (1 year after) and I have seen some of his patients that had grafts then lasar and the down time really seems to be the way to go and look at the plus side is the rest of you face will be wrinkle free & spot free (I'm almost 47 and get it). Best of luck
Sandy 
Sandy, if you're still out there, thank you. I live in Santa Cruz, CA and may visit Dr. Moy in LA. I had Mohs on the tip of my nose 2 weeks ago. The spot was about 4 mm. It looks like there will be a depressed spot on my nose and this is very upsetting. I wish I had gone to Dr. Moy from the beginning. But maybe he is the best person to improve the scar. How does your nose look now?
I'm still hang out here LOL ~ my step daughter lives in Santa Cruz also. Dr Moy is going yo do a laser thing (I'll check the actual name of it) but he said the laser will get rid of the divit on my nose. Nobody seems to notice unless I say something, but I have to say I work in the medical field & Dr Moy by FAR has been truthful and has always come through with whatever he has said.
You still fresh...the BEST is to get Aquafor (spelling is off) and KEEP YOUR NOSE COVERED. i felt like an idiot but after a month HUGE difference.
Call him. Hey will call you back. I didn't believe it when I called him (wasn't a patient yet) and he called me back & it's been great since. Let me know what you do & how it's going.
Take care & don't freak out it does get better...
Sandy
Thank you so much for your reply, Sandy. I was feeling pretty down this evening. Just went out and bought some new bandaids. I feel better when I don't look at my nose right now. I looked up Aquaphor and will buy some right away. Thanks for that tip. By the way, I am 57. I didn't realize I was so vain until I had to deal with this. You have been very helpful.
Hi Patricia. Are you still out there? Your posts have been very helpful to me. I am a 57-year-old woman in Santa Cruz, CA, who had Mohs for a 4 mm bcc on the tip of my nose about 5 weeks ago. It has been traumatic. After 5 weeks the area around the incision is still red and bumpy. I am really curious about laser treatments. Did you end up having them? How soon after your surgery? How many treatments did you have? How well did they work? No one does Fraxel laser where I live. I wonder how it is different from other laser treatments. Any info you can give me will be greatly appreciated. I hope you are all healed now. Thanks so much.
I had to make the same decision...do the cream. If it don't work for you you can always go back and have the surgery. I just started my 2nd week aldara cream and it's not that bad. I use 5 days on, 2 days off. Your face feels like it's sunburned. I kind of feel run down by the 5th day but the 2 days off is a relief. It's much better than a huge scar from surgery. Good Luck!
Sandy
I just got home. 4.5 hour procedure. Had to go back in twice for more removal. Then plastic surgeon came in and felt that stitches would be better than the flap or skin graft. I have a little over a one inch incision with stitches. The doctor cut a football shape opening and then stitched. She thinks it will heal fine. If not she said we can laser it a bit as well.
Shelly
To find a certified Mohs surgeon, visit this link:
If you are looking for a surgeon, just type in your city/zip & state.
If you want to verify a surgeon you already know, type in his/her name, city & state.
I verified my Mohs surgeon this way, and it really put me at ease. It is so stressful, trying to find a brilliant surgeon you can trust. My dermatologist made me promise I would only have my BCC removed by a Mohs surgeon, and by no other surgical method. She was emphatic & even made me spell "Mohs" back for her to reinforce her seriousness.
As it turned out, another dermatologist's office offerred to do another type of surgery for a lesser price. I remembered my promise to my 1st doctor, to only do Mohs, and I'm glad that I did. I found an excellent surgeon, who presented payment options, since I don't have insurance.
Please be certain your surgeon is a memeber of the American Society for Mohs surgery. It is SO IMPORTANT to do.
Just my experience--
J.W.
I was wondering why the doctor didn't do MOHS in the first place. Then he/she would have gotten it all most likely. Having used Aldara, I would be afraid to put it on a fresh wound since it could seep directly into the wound. Seems doctors are pretty ignorant about Aldara. I have had some wicked reactions from Aldara.
I have had MOHS and used Aldara. I was just diagnosed with another lesion BCC on my nose. My doctor wanted me to do Aldara rather than MOHS. I am not sure either is a great option but at least with MOHS I feel certain it is probably treated. I am doing the Aldara, but wonder if that was the best option.
I think I would wait until it heals. Ask your doctor if it is safe since the literature all says to apply to the healed surgical site.
I doubt if you are reading these messages almost 2 years after the fact but I have a similar problem. I was diagosed with BCC above and into my upper lip last July. I had Moh's surgey on December 1st. and reconstructive surgery on Dec. 2nd. The Moh's surgeon had to take 2 cuttings. The hole was about the size of a nickel and about the debth of 2 nickels stacked one on one. The Moh's surgery went by with-out any problems. Dr. P. did an excellent job! The next day I went to a hospital and had DE-constructive surgery! My appointment was for 3PM and I was "finally" taken to surgery at 7PM. The doctor's office never scheduled me for post OP tests. I arrived at the hospital at 1:40 PM. They were surprised I didn't have my tests done so they did them at that time. I had a 4 1/2 hour wait after that. (no emergency operations...don't know "why" it took so long.) I have numerous lung problems..(on their records.) They gave me 5 or 6 drugs in my anesthesia. One of them caused me to have a hard time catching my breath/breathing upon waking. After I felt better I went on line and saw that they "should" have known there might be a problem if this drug was administered. There were other problems I had with the anesthesia/IV drugs they gave me but I won't go into that. When I got home the whole lower half of my face was covered with blood. (I never knew a person could bleed like that even though they were sewn up.) The "de-constructive" surgeon cut me from my nose down over my upper lip and into the inside of my lip. I have a hard raised scar that is about 1/4" wide and a little over an inch long. The upper lip on the inside corner of mouth is missing.( My septum is angled to the left so my top lip is now on the left side of my face.) I feel VERY embarrassed and ashamed 
about the way I look. Not only is my lip off kilter but I have this red,hard puffed up scar over an inch long that looks like a gummy worm!! It has been one month and 5 days since my surgery. I am hesitant about talking with the surgeon about this as I am pretty sure he won't be "straight" with me. Could some-one out there PLEASE tell me if this is "normal". Sometimes I get a feeling of "splinters" in my scar..sometimes I get a "jolt" of pain and at other times I get a burning and stinging sensation in my scar particularly in the incision in my lip. I am anxious to have this behind me. I can take the splinters,the stinging and the occasional pain but the "gummy worm" effect is really depressing me.
Does anyone have any answers for me..please???
I am sorry that I don't have any answers for you as I just found out that I have BCC and will undergo the Mohs procedure in a few weeks. I just wanted to tell you that at least someone is reading your post and I pray it gets better and don't worry about being ashamed. Focus on the things you LOVE about yourself and just be encouraged that it will probably improve. I am sure that is hard and I am definitely anxious about my upcoming procedure after reading some of these stories. But, Good Luck and I hope things get better!
Hi! Thanks SO MUCH for writing. It meant a lot to me... more than words could express. I had such anxiety about my procedure I was about to explode. The Moh's procedure was a breeze. She (Dr. P from Roanoke Va.) had to go in twice to get all the cancer. She had showed me some pictures of people that "she" did re-constructive surgery on after she did the Moh's. (some Moh's surgeons "don't" specialize in re-constructive surgery.) She did a remarkable job on all her patients. There was a woman who had cancer in the same spot I did and she cut her to about the same degree as she did me..The "after" picture was amazing! She did a perfect job! In the "after" picture you could hardly notice her scar. Being un-informed/stupid I didn't want her to do the reconsructive surgery because I "thought" it would be better to be knocked out when having it done so I chose to go to a plastic surgeon in south-west Va. The Moh's surgeon would have used Lidocaine..I never had experience with that before and I "thought" a local novacaine-type drug would NOT numb me ENOUGH! NOW I know..it works great and it is a LOT less scary than anesthesia. If I "ever" get another BCC I "WILL" definately go to her to repair it also. SHE did a heck-of-a better job than an ACTUAL plastic surgeon!!! (I would NEVER recommend this guy to anyone..he was "suppose" to be good. well, I found that to be a long stretch of the truth..) Where is your BCC? I know me saying this isn't going to help with your anxiety..but I am telling you "MY" experience with my Moh's surgery was better than having a tooth pulled. I couldn't believe I worked myself up for something so trivial with very little pain. Good luck to you. I will be thinking about you. Please write back and let me know how you are doing.
Hi..it's me again. After I went off line I remembered something I wanted to tell you. Before you have the Lidocaine.."ASK FOR AN ICE PACK" to numb the area that you will be getting the injection..if you do that you won't even feel the injection. I felt like such a fool getting as worked up as I did. Don't be scared honey..you will be fine. I am the biggest woose on the East coast..and if I tell you the Moh's surgery is nothing to be scared of..you CAN believe me. I'm going to the DE-constructive/plastic surgeon tomorrow for a follow-up. He..on the other hand, needs to retire or go back to school.....
I really hope that you can find some answers or a possible solution to the problems you are experiencing now when you visit the doctor. I REALLY feel for you on that one, honestly.
My BCC is just below my left eye. I just had the biopsy done back on 1/8/10 and found out that it was indeed malignant on 1/12/10. Unfortunately, I had that spot for over four years and had been living with it the entire time. I can't tell you how many derm's I had been to and even had other (benign) spots removed and not one ever showed any concern for that spot. Even this last time they said 'oh that's just a mole'. I didn't budge and wanted it removed only for vanity reasons honestly. The doctor even insisted that I was a little 'vain' for it, but if being vain caught skin cancer, then I'll take it.
I am actually not that worried about the procedure except for the fact that I have had it for years and although the Dr. said it can't really 'spread' it can continue to grow deeper the longer it is present. He also expressed concern because it is extremely close to my eye and said in the worst cases it can spread to the eye and become a much bigger problem. While that scares the heck out of me, I am just hoping and praying that it is not that bad. That being said, I am fairly certain (or at least prepared) that I will need a skin graft due to it's fairly large size. My Dr. even said that he will perfrom the procedure, but that he will have a plastic surgeon come in and close it up and do whatever necessary due to it's close proximity to the eye and potential for a lot of scarring/disfigurement. Luckily for me though the Dermatologist and Plastic Surgeon's office are actually connected and I will have a consultation before the procedure with him and they will work closely together.
That being said, my insurance just ended on 1/15/10 - of all times this is the first week I have ever been uninsured in my life!!! I have had to cancel all my appointments which were in the next couple of weeks and will be applying for some sort of aid in hopes that I can get coverage just to have these procedures done. All of the private insurance companies I have checked into are astronomical because I have a pre-existing condition of cancer! Nobody wants me now. So, that is the big obstacle in front of me and without conquering that I am afraid I will have to live with this for awhile and it's already been four years. But, I'm staying hopeful and I hope that you do to and hopefully for you the worst is over and it will only get better from here. My thoughts are with you and I would love if you updated me about your upcoming appointment.
Sandy... don't know if you are still reading these.. but I JUST now found this thread.. and am so grateful. I live in Los Angeles and just recently went to a few PS's for other things.. and both said.. what's that on your cheek?? It has been there.. but not as bad, for a year 1/2.. amazing with all the Docs I see no ONE said anything... It had now become a very small hole on my face in the nasolabial fold... I kept just covering it up with makeup.. so I was also told to get a biopsy and do Moh's surgery,( never even heard of it till NOW).. so I went to my dermatologist.. she took a biopsy.. and when I told her I wanted Moh's she referred me to Dr. Ron Moy.. whom I had not heard of before. I was all over the internet looking up plastic surgeons... and getting scared out of my head....sounds like I may have just found my man.
Did he do the plastic surgery right after the Moh's procedure? Did you still have to have laser surgery.How doe it look now.. years after???? love any imput you may have...Thanks, Barbara
Hi, I also have a bcc by my lip, it's on the left side of my face just above my lip. I am going in for my moh's surgery consutation appt. today. My surgery is scheduled for next Monday. I will let you know how it goes. I too am scared about disfigurement because it is practically on my lip.
Hope your scar is getting better.
Hi tamsfam! I just wrote you a loong message but it didn't go through. Hope this one goes through ok. My cancer just skimmed my upper lip on the left side also. I didn't know anything about "Ladocaine" when I scheduled my surgery"s". I wanted to be knocked out because I thought just having Ladocaine wouldn't be enough. Actually it "was". I didn't feel ANYTHING! When I had my consultation my Moh's surgeon showed me pictures of re-constructive surgeries "she" had done. I was VERY impressed with her work!! BUT..I stupidly went the way of being put under when they did the re-construction. I had re-constructive surgery the following day in a hospital by another surgeon. A plastic surgeon. When I had my consult with "him" he did "NOT" show me pictures of the re-constructions "he" did. That was my mistake right there! ASK FOR PICTURES!!! The Moh's surgeon (Dr. Phillips in Roanoke Va.) was EXCELLENT. I could not have had a better Moh's surgeon!! It has been almost three months now. The redness has all but gone. The reconstructive surgery I had wasn't what I had hoped for. That has taught me to ask more questions..ASK FOR PICTURES!!! Ladocaine is all you will need for pain. Before they numb you ASK FOR AN ICE PACK and you won't even feel the needle. Also..after your surgery..it will help you if you use a "sippy cup". I made 3 batches of home-made soup and put it in my cup to drink. After I weaned myself off the cup I still had a hard time "trying" to eat. I got more ON me than in me. At least it was good for a laugh! If it happens again I will also get myself a bib! We all might end up with scaring..but in time we get "used" to it. Living with a scar is SO MUCH BETTER than having the cancer consume one's whole face. I know from experience that you will be fine. I was surprised that the Moh's surgery was NOTHING like I "imagined" it was going to be. I was embarrassed that I had scared myself into a stupor just thinking about it. Don't forget..ASK FOR PICTURES..ASK FOR AN ICE PACK BEFORE THEY GIVE YOU THE LADOCAINE...and INVEST IN A SIPPY CUP! PLEASE WRITE BACK tamsfam. I will be thinking about you.
Hi Rach,
Thanks for the well wishes.
It has been a frustrating and uphill battle to get coverage and it took some time and a lot of money. But, still I am blessed. That being said, I had my final surgical consult this past week and my surgery is next week (so discouraged that the surgery was put off for 3 entire months!!). Initially, the surgeon told me that there is a chance I may get away with just sutures, but he told me this past week that it is either going to be a skin graft or skin flap. I knew it was a possibility, but the news just hit so hard. He went through the most likely outcomes and indeed, the scarring will be substantial. I think I just wanted to get out of the office so quickly that I didn't ask whether the flap or graft would be the best case scenario (less scarring, less healing time) so I plan to hit the boards and net to better inform myself. Even though I have had several appointments between the derm and the surgeon I am completely bewildered at the lack of information given to patients. I believe I would have chosen Mohs, even if given the choice, but it was never presented merely as an option, but rather as the only choice. In addition, I had to basically learn about Mohs all on my own.
I do, however, feel good about both the dermatologist doing the Mohs and the plastic surgeon and will continue to pray for the best. I really am more interested in learning specifically about skin grafts and flaps and anything related to scarring of both of those procedures. I know there is some information on this page, but a little scattered and not as extensive as I am looking for so hopefully I can find that elsewhere. I guess I am looking for something to ease my mind a bit after all those google images!!!! (which I would suggest not doing) I actually have a very big event coming up in five weeks and just want to be prepared for what is to come-good or bad. I guess I'll find out soon enough though.
What have you decided after your diagnosis? Please let me know. I know that BCC is very treatable and a lot of people come out of as good as new. However, my stress from day one has always been about the location of the cancer and not the cancer itself. Mine is basically on my eyelid which really creates an entirely new set of complications (pulling of the eyelid after reconstruction, etc.) and from what I can tell is one of the more rare places on the face to get BCC. So...just know I understand. I wish that my surgery was already over and that I could be of more help to you, but I will be sure to post an update after the surgery.
All the Best,
Tara
I'll keep my fingers crossed for you, Tara! I hope the agony of waiting and funding are much worse than the actual surgery.
Too late -- I already looked at all the scary photos on Google, haha. And they are scary. But what amazes me is how well every last one of them (those treated by doctors) healed so well. So I'm optimistic about that, and steeling myself for some ugliness in the interim. I can handle the scary part as long as I know that in the end, I'll heal up.
My mom had BCB on her lower eyelid three years ago. What a horrible spot! She looked pretty bad right after the surgery, but I swear within two months she looked great. I'm not kidding. A big chunk was taken from her eyelid (they had to do two layers in Mohs), but a plastic surgeon took care of it right after the initial surgery. She didn't need anything further done. Three years later, and you absolutely cannot tell she had surgery on her eyelid. It looks perfectly normal. So again, I'm taking heart from that too.
I don't get my biopsy results for a week (only had the biopsy yesterday). I went to a good doctor a co-worker who had BCB and Mohs recommended. When she went in for her check-up, he biopsied a couple of spots "just in case," and said nothing about what he thought they might be, if anything. When he saw the growth on my face just below my eye, he said without hesitation that it was BCB before he even biopsied it. He's that sure. EEK! Still, I have to wait for the biopsy results to rule out squamous cell before I can even schedule the Mohs. I can't wait ... I want to get this taken care of as soon as possible, especially before the sunny summer months. But of course I'm nervous. I'm so lucky to be able to make all the decisions without going through the hell you had to endure.
You are the reason I support health-care reform, in a nutshell. I don't think anyone should have to wait three months or three years for important medical treatment just because they don't have insurance. A compassionate society wouldn't care if its taxes were raised slightly to help fellow Americans. We all put other people's children through school and provide programs for those children from our tax dollars (I don't even have kids myself, but I don't mind paying for other people's), yet we complain about providing something as simple and humane as keeping people healthy and alive. I don't get it. I wish you the best in your treatment -- please let me know how it went!
Rachel
I'll keep my fingers crossed for you, Tara! I hope the agony of waiting and funding are much worse than the actual surgery.
Too late -- I already looked at all the scary photos on Google, haha. And they are scary. But what amazes me is how well every last one of them (those treated by doctors) healed so well. So I'm optimistic about that, and steeling myself for some ugliness in the interim. I can handle the scary part as long as I know that in the end, I'll heal up.
My mom had BCB on her lower eyelid three years ago. What a horrible spot! She looked pretty bad right after the surgery, but I swear within two months she looked great. I'm not kidding. A big chunk was taken from her eyelid (they had to do two layers in Mohs), but a plastic surgeon took care of it right after the initial surgery. She didn't need anything further done. Three years later, and you absolutely cannot tell she had surgery on her eyelid. It looks perfectly normal. So again, I'm taking heart from that too.
I don't get my biopsy results for a week (only had the biopsy yesterday). I went to a good doctor a co-worker who had BCB and Mohs recommended. When she went in for her check-up, he biopsied a couple of spots "just in case," and said nothing about what he thought they might be, if anything. When he saw the growth on my face just below my eye, he said without hesitation that it was BCB before he even biopsied it. He's that sure. EEK! Still, I have to wait for the biopsy results to rule out squamous cell before I can even schedule the Mohs. I can't wait ... I want to get this taken care of as soon as possible, especially before the sunny summer months. But of course I'm nervous. I'm so lucky to be able to make all the decisions without going through the hell you had to endure.
You are the reason I support health-care reform, in a nutshell. I don't think anyone should have to wait three months or three years for important medical treatment just because they don't have insurance. A compassionate society wouldn't care if its taxes were raised slightly to help fellow Americans. We all put other people's children through school and provide programs for those children from our tax dollars (I don't even have kids myself, but I don't mind paying for other people's), yet we complain about providing something as simple and humane as keeping people healthy and alive. I don't get it. I wish you the best in your treatment -- please let me know how it went!
Rachel
I'll keep my fingers crossed for you, Tara! I hope the agony of waiting and funding are much worse than the actual surgery.
Too late -- I already looked at all the scary photos on Google, haha. And they are scary. But what amazes me is how well every last one of them (those treated by doctors) healed so well. So I'm optimistic about that, and steeling myself for some ugliness in the interim. I can handle the scary part as long as I know that in the end, I'll heal up.
My mom had BCB on her lower eyelid three years ago. What a horrible spot! She looked pretty bad right after the surgery, but I swear within two months she looked great. I'm not kidding. A big chunk was taken from her eyelid (they had to do two layers in Mohs), but a plastic surgeon took care of it right after the initial surgery. She didn't need anything further done. Three years later, and you absolutely cannot tell she had surgery on her eyelid. It looks perfectly normal. So again, I'm taking heart from that too.
I don't get my biopsy results for a week (only had the biopsy yesterday). I went to a good doctor a co-worker who had BCB and Mohs recommended. When she went in for her check-up, he biopsied a couple of spots "just in case," and said nothing about what he thought they might be, if anything. When he saw the growth on my face just below my eye, he said without hesitation that it was BCB before he even biopsied it. He's that sure. EEK! Still, I have to wait for the biopsy results to rule out squamous cell before I can even schedule the Mohs. I can't wait ... I want to get this taken care of as soon as possible, especially before the sunny summer months. But of course I'm nervous. I'm so lucky to be able to make all the decisions without going through the hell you had to endure.
You are the reason I support health-care reform, in a nutshell. I don't think anyone should have to wait three months or three years for important medical treatment just because they don't have insurance. A compassionate society wouldn't care if its taxes were raised slightly to help fellow Americans. We all put other people's children through school and provide programs for those children from our tax dollars (I don't even have kids myself, but I don't mind paying for other people's), yet we complain about providing something as simple and humane as keeping people healthy and alive. I don't get it. I wish you the best in your treatment -- please let me know how it went!
Rachel
I'll keep my fingers crossed for you, Tara! I hope the agony of waiting and funding are much worse than the actual surgery.
Too late -- I already looked at all the scary photos on Google, haha. And they are scary. But what amazes me is how well every last one of them (those treated by doctors) healed so well. So I'm optimistic about that, and steeling myself for some ugliness in the interim. I can handle the scary part as long as I know that in the end, I'll heal up.
My mom had BCB on her lower eyelid three years ago. What a horrible spot! She looked pretty bad right after the surgery, but I swear within two months she looked great. I'm not kidding. A big chunk was taken from her eyelid (they had to do two layers in Mohs), but a plastic surgeon took care of it right after the initial surgery. She didn't need anything further done. Three years later, and you absolutely cannot tell she had surgery on her eyelid. It looks perfectly normal. So again, I'm taking heart from that too.
I don't get my biopsy results for a week (only had the biopsy yesterday). I went to a good doctor a co-worker who had BCB and Mohs recommended. When she went in for her check-up, he biopsied a couple of spots "just in case," and said nothing about what he thought they might be, if anything. When he saw the growth on my face just below my eye, he said without hesitation that it was BCB before he even biopsied it. He's that sure. EEK! Still, I have to wait for the biopsy results to rule out squamous cell before I can even schedule the Mohs. I can't wait ... I want to get this taken care of as soon as possible, especially before the sunny summer months. But of course I'm nervous. I'm so lucky to be able to make all the decisions without going through the hell you had to endure.
You are the reason I support health-care reform, in a nutshell. I don't think anyone should have to wait three months or three years for important medical treatment just because they don't have insurance. A compassionate society wouldn't care if its taxes were raised slightly to help fellow Americans. We all put other people's children through school and provide programs for those children from our tax dollars (I don't even have kids myself, but I don't mind paying for other people's), yet we complain about providing something as simple and humane as keeping people healthy and alive. I don't get it. I wish you the best in your treatment -- please let me know how it went!
Rachel
Hi Rachel (and anyone else still reading this post),
I had my procedure done on 4/9/10 and have been recovering for a week already. How time flies! The Mohs procedure went pretty well. They had to do two stages and the cancer ended up being a bit deeper than expected, but not as 'wide'. I was SO thankful for that. That being said, the wound was from corner to corner of my eye and literally from 'above' my eyelash follicles to about the tip of my nose. Big enough, but still much smaller than the dr's had anticipated. The procedure itself went well except that I was already feeling pain going into the second stage and even though both the nurse and I insisted I needed more anesthetic, the doctor did not. I felt the entire second stage-cutting, clipping, and all! Luckily, after they were done they did give me some to at least stop the pain until my second surgery. (wait, should I consider that lucky? I don't know, I thought the patient should not experience any UNnecessary pain- but what do I know!?!)
Then I went into the OR and they ended up doing a skin graft from behind my ear. The procedure was supposed to only take an hour, but ended up taking over 3- I guess they ran into minor 'complications'. I was only allowed to stay in the recovery room for about 40 minutes before they sent me home and I felt HORRIBLE. I think it was because they were rushing me and coming out of a sedated state while they are moving me from a bed to a chair, shoving ice cubes down my throat, and dressing me within forty minutes of surgery was a bit much. The next day, however, I felt great. I was up early and making veggie dog food and didn't sleep at all that day. But, the next two days came and it was bad. I was vomiting, nauseous, had a bad headache, and in pain. I really think it was the antibiotic they had me on though. The worst pain really came from my ear. They sliced it up pretty good and it still hurts. My eye is very tender and occasionally there are sharp pains, but far less painful that I was anticipating.
I already went to two post-ops and things look good so far. They said the graft is taking, but there may be a chance that my eyelid will droop. Personally, as soon as they took out the global suture (from my forehead to eyelid) I feel and see that my eyelid is already pulling down. I know it is early and hope that the heavy feeling is just from the graft and that it will indeed bounce back. If not, once I get different insurance I will look into having that corrected.
Overall, I'm satisfied so far and don't feel nearly as ugly or hideous as I thought I would. I do have graduation in just three weeks though and at this point I think I will not be attending. It's not that bad, but it's bad.
Sorry I wrote so much, just trying to give details for anyone else facing the same thing. I promise I could write a book on my experience with removing skin cancer and it's not even over yet. Insurance would definitely get a few chapters in that book! A side note: Insurance tried to cancel and actually, did effectively cancel my surgery at 4 pm the day before!! My doctor went above and beyond to get on the phone with them and make sure it happened. I can't even explain how I was feeling when that happened. I had the WORST anxiety and couldn't sleep that night just imagining that I would show up and it would be canceled. After three months of waiting...then they pull this. In addition, they only gave me clearance for ONE post-op with plastic surgery! ONE! I had two within the first week and have another in four days. I am currently waiting for a phone call back from insurance to see if I will have to pay for the second one that wasn't authorized and how to get more visits authorized!!! But, I find no need to sit by the phone...waiting....
Did you get your results back yet, Rachel? Please keep me posted!
Tara
Tara, that's great that it's OVER and now you can concentrate on healing ... if the insurance company doesn't make that difficult. As if you don't have enough to think about with the actual diagnosis and surgery! Have you seen any improvement in your eyelid's droopiness? How does the Mohs site itself look, is it healing well?
My doctor was right, and the spot was basal cell. I have my Mohs scheduled for May 20. The doctor said I should wait to do it until after a trip I had scheduled in mid-May, in case I had any complications that would prevent me from getting on a plane (something about blood flow). My biopsy site is a little divot that is kind of hard to cover up, so I'm hopeful that whatever repair work is done after Mohs will be an improvement overall. I'll be glad to get it over with. I've become the cover-up queen now, wearing hats, sunglasses and sunblock whenever I'm outside! For a former teenage sun-worshipper back in the bad old '70s and '80s, this is a major change, haha.
I hope you continue to do well!
Hey there, I was so happy to find something current like this. My bcc surgery is scheduled for 5/17/10. Will see the surgeon for a consultation on 5/13. I have two places on my nose, one on the bridge and one on the left side, under my eye. I'm mostly worried about the one on the top of my nose because it has been there for years...also because it is so visible. My glasses will help hide the scar from the one on the side of my nose.
Can anyone tell me if seven weeks will proabably be enough time for the healing to allow me to put makeup over the wound/scar? I am supposed to officiate at a wedding on July 5 and wonder if I should tell the couple to obtain someone else.
If anyone reads this that has had Mohs on the top of their nose, I'd love to hear your experience with using makeup. I'd also like to hear from anyone who wants to write. There's some comfort in knowing many others have had this experience.
Taffy
I also am so glad to see current posts on BCC and Mohs. I was diagnosed with a sBCC about 3 weeks ago on the bridge of my nose. I had a MOHS consultation yesterday 5/17/10 and I'm so confused about which treatment to go with. I wanted to be sure about all of my options...my primary dermo didn't offer any options other than MOHs. After seeing the MOHS surgeon, I understand Aldara is also an option, but sounds so scarey when I read about others experience with it.
Has anyone had a good experience with Aldara? I'm afraid of having a giant, long scar smack in the middle of my nose if I go with the Mohs.
Thanks for all of the info!
Ellen
Hi Sandy,
We exchanged a few messages last October. How are you doing a year after your procedure? Has Dr. Moy done any more treatments on your nose? I'd love to hear from you.
It has now been 10 months since the Mohs surgery on my nose. I had one laser treatment in May. The scar looks pretty good, but there's still a depression on the front of my nose. I notice it more than other people do, of course. I am trying to figure out where to go from here. I will be in L.A. in early November, and I made an appointment to see Dr. Moy! I am very hopeful that he will be the best person to advise me. Again, love to hear from you.
Gerry
Hi, I had my mohs procedure done on march 23 on the tip of nose, was squamous cancer 4mmx6mm , my scar still very noticiable , even with make up I can't hide it, most noticiable is the indentations of stiches than the scar , my mohs surgeon said is excellent healing and I still see improvement over every week but is very slow..I been massaging the area every day and absolutely no sun at all after 4 months now I'm still struggling about my nose results , I will see the plastic surgeon next week and I will tell what he had to say, be prepair because I feel when people look at me and feel sorry and shocked.
Hi L.P.
I was the original anonymous poster that first replied in January and have since left other messages on the board. I just wanted to check in with you and see how things are going and how you have healed up. Please, please let me know if/when your pain decreased and how it all turned out. I was thinking of you all this time and hope you have healed up nicely.
Tara
Hi Rachel!
Just checking in to see how your procedure went. It's been several months so hopefully things are healing up nicely.
All is well over here. I was only able to go to post-ops in the beginning and then my insurance quit covering them. At the last one, my surgeon said that it looks like I could have some minimal reconstructive surgery done at the end od the healing stage to eliminate the 'extra lumps of skin' as I like to call them. But, I will have to wait until I get new insurance for that. In the meantime it is something I can live with, but something that definitely frustrates me. In fact, the actual scarring from the surgery is not that bad; it doesn't even bother me. But, the extra skin in the corners of the incision were like threaded together to allow extra pulling of the skin and they just healed like that and there is no way to diminish them.
I feel so blessed that 1) the cancer had not spread as much as they originally thought and therefore the wound was much smaller and 2) that everything healed up so well. I do attribute a lot of the rapid healing to my vegan, whole food diet with lots of supplements and probiotics but I'm still happy that I had the willpower to stick to such a strict diet for so many months. Truth be told, massaging the scar didn't do a ton. I know this because unfortunately I was not able to massage it much at all since the skin was over my eyeball and it's extremely uncomfortable/painful to massage it for ten minutes at a time. Perhaps the extra skin would have decreased a bit if I had been able to massage it more, but overall I'm satisfied. I also wish that I had gotten the surgery during the winter months because I have without a doubt been in the sun quite a bit. I, of course, use sunblock and wear glasses but I'm sure it has had somewhat of an adverse effect on the scar.
And drooping, which was my main concern, is actually not as severe as it was in the beginning. My eyelid does pull away from my eye though a few mm's. I notice this most when my head is tilted down but I'm looking at a mirror like when I am putting on eye makeup. It seems like if it pulls it should droop but the drooping isn't significant enough for me to really notice it. I do hate that my eyelid pulls but there is nothing they can do to fix it so just something I'll have to live with.
And finally, my ear has always been and remains to be THE most painful part of the entire surgery. They removed the skin from behind my ear for the skin graft and although it's healed up I still can't touch the area and still can't rest that side on a pillow. Oh, a side note: I ended up pulling out 1/4 of my stitches MYSELF! which was the most painful experience, especially considering how the stitches were in my eyelash follicles. But, at the time, my doctor removed some of the stitches that had not dissolved and said he had gotten them all and I just never looked before I left the office besides the fact that I couldn't even see out of that eye for two hours it hurt so bad. But, when I got home I noticed there were still some left near my eyelashes. My Dr. is an hour away so I was just going to get it done myself. Ouch!
So overall, said and done, things worked out pretty well. However, looking back at the situation I realize that I went through a lot of stressing and worrying for no reason. My insurance company should have never made this into the mess it turned out to be and I'm still upset over that. I was not given enough post-op appointments and have pretty much had to leave my wound and scar unchecked since 1 month post-op. Yes, it's healing fine, but still! And also, there was a lot of build-up from my Dr's about how bad the cancer was and how significant the scarring was going to be. Of course they didn't know for sure and I was happy to prepare for the worst, expect the best because at least I was realistic with the situation and it turned out that I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome. It would have been nice though to not have been so worked up about the procedure.
I hope your surgery went just as well Rachel and to anyone else on the board looking for information or to those of you who just need some good ol' support, I would be happy to help. I know how I felt when I first found out and frantically searched the net to find any answers I could. The best advice I can give anyone is do not search through Google images! Really, just don't do it! I know you are tempted, but don't! Best of luck to anyone going through the procedure.
Tara
I am in Richmond VA and just had Mohs surgery Jan.13 2011, by Christine Rausch, who came highly recommended. I had second thoughts also, not knowing much about BCC. Had a pencil size eraser of BCC on my nose, in the middle I guess you could say. It was deep, and she had to do a flap, pulling my skin on the left side of my face to cover the nose. Now my left eye is all puffy, and I mean really puffy to where I cannot see much out of it. I have called and they say its normal. Hmmmm.....anytime when you have surgery, esp with stitches there is going to be swelling and bruising, I just didn't think about it going to alter the way I look. No one ever mentioned this, no discussion, nothing....
I am in Richmond VA and just had Mohs surgery Jan.13 2011, by Christine Rausch, who came highly recommended. I had second thoughts also, not knowing much about BCC. Had a pencil size eraser of BCC on my nose, in the middle I guess you could say. It was deep, and she had to do a flap, pulling my skin on the left side of my face to cover the nose. Now my left eye is all puffy, and I mean really puffy to where I cannot see much out of it. I have called and they say its normal. Hmmmm.....anytime when you have surgery, esp with stitches there is going to be swelling and bruising, I just didn't think about it going to alter the way I look. No one ever mentioned this, no discussion, nothing....
I just had Moh's surgery a little over a week ago. My main concern was that they get all of the cancer. I'm getting a graft next Tuesday. I needed 4 passes right on the tip of my nose. There isn't much skin there so you know it's huge. It turned out to be a 15 mm circle and about 1/8 inch deep. The important this is that the cancer is gone. The hole will be covered by the graft! I'm sure it will heal fine but that's not the important thing. It's being cancer free!
How old are you Tara??? i recently had a car accident, and not that its the same but i had to have a full thickness skin graft just above my eyelid and just under my eye brow... it pulls up my eyelid crease slightly and into a point, how long sis it take for your scars to heal? i had skin taken from behind my ear too. Would love to see pics? I look on google image all the time for hope that i may look pretty again, iam only 28years old! Love to hear from you!
Hi Angie,
Well, I'm 28 and was 27 when I had the surgery. It has been just over a year and the scar has healed up nicely. It is pretty much flesh colored at this point, or even a little lighter than my skin, but definitely not red/purple anymore. It is definitely raised though. Basically, the incision was almond shaped and I do still have extra skin in the 'corners'. I believe that could be corrected though with a minor procedure if my insurance would ever cover it! The most visual incision seems to lay with the natural crease under my eye. That is a good thing because it tends to look like more natural, but unfortunately, I am very young with no wrinkles so it does not look natural at this point. Basically I look like I have deep wrinkles under one eye which does look odd. My eye does droop a tiny bit, but the thing that bothers me most is that my eye is constantly irritated. The slightest bit of air bothers it and I find myself squinting frequently to keep that eye closed and reduce irritation. But, all in all, nothing that I can really complain about. If there is a way for me to contact you then I can definitely try and get some pictures to you.
But, more importantly, trust me, no one will EVER see what you see. I promise. My eyes have always been one of my best features and I hate that they are 'changed' and they just don't look the same to me. But, not one person has ever reflected that sentiment. In fact, I still get compliments about them! It's a personal thing and the fact is, it will probably never look exactly the same, as I know mine didn't, so you'll just have to embrace it and find a way to be comfortable with it. But, I promise, from what you've explained, we have very similar circumstances, and I am sure you're still beautiful on the inside and out! Forget pretty...beautiful is the way to go!
Best of luck with everything! Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Tara
Hi Tara,
Thank you for your speedy reply! I must reconfirm though, did you have a skin graft? I would love to keep chatting to you as i progress through the healing period, as it would help my spirits, my email is angiesmithy@hotmail.com
If you could post pics that be great, might help me to overcome my emotional state at the moment. My eyes are my best feature aswell, so i know how you feel!
Thanks again and hope to hears from you again soon!
I had Mohs surgery in Birmingham, AL, May16, 2011. I had 3 small raised red bumps on left forehead over eyebrow. Dr. had to remove tissue 2 times to get all of bbc. The area was the size of a nickle. He did a flap from scalp down. My incisions are 1 and 1/2 in. down just below scalp and 2 inches across over my eyebrow. It looks like an upside-down T. Four days after surgery I bent over and hit my incision on a shelf and pulled midline stitches out, but it is healing really well, now. I have one spot that is open, but Dr. feels it will close up on it's own. It's been 3 wks since surgery and it's still red, and my forehead and some of my scalp is still numb. Dr. said all the feeling may never come back, due to the cutting of the nerves during surgery. When it is completely healed I will use the Mederma to see if it will help. Good luck to all...
My husband was just diagnosed today with squamous cell carcinoma on his lower lip. They want to use the Mohs procedure. Has anyone had this procedure on the lip or heard of it?
I had Mohs surgey September 5 on my lower lip. The surgery was painless, but once the anesthetic wore off - it was extremely painful. I don't know if everyone experiences this amount of pain, but I was actually crying. I was not prepared for that type of pain, but fortunately the doctor did give me some heavy drugs that worked wonderful. I only had to take the pain medicine the day of the surgery, otherwise it was tolerable. I am just now able to chew food without discomfort. Otherwise, you would never know I had the procedure done.
hi there - did you get any feedback re this? I Have just been diagnosed with SCC on my upper lip and drs recommending MOHS.
I'm looking for personal feedback +ve or -ve - all I am experiencing at the hospital is objective medical opinion - I guess it is their jobs, but....
thanks for any feedback!...
I was diagnosed with BCC on my upper lip the day after my 40th birthday. I just had it removed last Tuesday. At first I was shocked at the size of the hole it left on my lip, but only after a couple of days it is looking better. I am going back to my dermatologist on Monday and we are going to decide if he is going to stitch it up or if were going to let it heal on its own. Right now I think I am going to just let it heal. As far as the pain goes...it did not hurt very bad at all. Kind of feels like you have a canker sore on the outside of your mouth. It's a little uncomfortable, but tolerable. Hope this helps...best of luck on your procedure.
Many thanks, Tricia, for replying. It seems most people I've met in the hospital are at least 30 years older than me! (I'm also in my 40s)
I have just had (last wed 29) similar procedure to yourself - resulting hole was measured as 8mm by 10mm and my doctor gave me the option of letting it heal naturally which I am going with! Its just bigger than the original biopsy (5mm sq) thats all. Very little pain, a little bit swollen still, but not that noticeable - the over-enthusiastic dressing was far more 'wearing' on the public around me!
Ruth
Hi Ruth,
I am almost 3 weeks out from the removal of the cancer on my lip and is all I have is a tiny little hole left. My lip is pretty much completely grown back. The doctor decided to let it heal on it's own because it looked so good 6 days later. I am fortunate that my healing has gone so fast. I am also lucky that I work with a wound care nurse who told me to take vitamin C, zinc and to eat plenty or protein. Yes, the bandage is a pain, but now it is so small that it is now barely noticable. My doctor believes in moist healing and wants me to keep it covered with Aquaphor until there is no more sore so I'm thinking about another 2 days and I will be bandage free..
. Best of luck with your healing and let me know how it goes. Take care
I had a lower lip squamos I sure it was sept. 7th..2010...it was akward the 1st few day , I fould if I put aguaphor it was soothing moist & healing, my Surgeon also recommended after mostly healed ,massage the area to prevent lots of scar tissue, circulation...mine looks prett good & I still will have lasor done ..Good Luck...
I'm 47 years old...2 days ago I had the MOHS surgergy on a very small basal cell just above the tip of my nose. They got it all in 2 cuts. All clear...praise the Lord. The wound was small enough that the Doc left it up to me whether to create a flap and have stitches, or to let it heal on its own. I chose to let it heal on its own because the biopsy had healed real well and I'm just trusting my body to heal the way God intended it to. After 2 days, I do see the opening shrinking a little. I'm keeping it moist with Vaseline as instructed and coered with a small Band-Aid. So far, so good! Just wondered if anybody else has let their wound heal on its own? I'm hoping the scar will be minimal, of course.
Julie
Ft Wayne, IN
I had Mohs for BCC on the side of my nose on 8/12. My doctor did the skin flap, cutting and pulling skin from the upper part of my nose and pulling it down over the mohrs "hole" -- then it was stitched. It healed well, however I still have a large bump on the inside of my nose -- this actually impedes my breathing a little. I go back to see the doctor in December. Externally, there is also still a bit of a bump, but the scar itself has healed well. They say it can take a full year to completely heal, so I'm still hoping that the BUMPS will go down. Anybody else with bumps?
yes i have a bump on the bridge of my nose as well, & i also had a flap done from under my right eye so i have minimal scaring, and the lazer will take care of that, they had to go 5 layers deep so you can imagin what it looked like ! but 3 weeks later its a miracle, im glad i opted for the flap & not the graft. Godd Luck
Hi Julie. I'm 67 and had Moh's treatment for a bcc on my nose, in the middle. I have a hole about the size of a pencil eraser, 1/8 " deep (which seemed huge!) and I too am keeping it moist with vaseline and covered like you are. I'm told to keep "debris" out by using a moist q-tip but find that hard to do. It seems like skin in growing and when I pull it out, the underside of this "skin"? is bloody. And that worries me. The hole is supposed to fill from the bottom, upwards but will not start to grow for at least 12 days. Do you have skin growing in your defect? I have been told that as the hole fills in, the skin from my nose will migrate across and there will be no scar. Hang in there, and keep seeing a dermatologist! Claudia, in Texas.
hi julie, i had had very large hole on the bridge of my nose as well as the right side, it is very important to keep the wound clean, everyday i would chande the dressing 2x a day, each time cleaning it with wet q tips sterile of course, then drying it with qtips as well, then i put AQUAPHOR on it you can find it in your local drug store, likes vaseline but has a healing property, then cover with a non stick bandage, then do it again in the evening,
i did that by the book for i week straight then had stiches removed, its hardly noticble & i didnt even have lazor yet, but no dry blood , that will leave scaring and possible cause infection, must be kept very clean... the reat is cake, trust me, i had it very bad....Good luck pattie
Claudia,
Your response was very helpful. I am also getting the white "goo" around the inner edge of the hole. I can also tell that it is filling in from the bottom after 1 week...It seems much less deep. I'm trying to wipe out the white stuff and most of it coms out, but there is some at the one edge that seems pretty stable, so I have left it. I guess if it comes out easily fine, but if not, I'm leaving it. Hopefully that is correct. I'm supposed to go back and see the dermatologist in 2 more weeks. I'm really impressed that it's healing up, but it's still gaping quite a bit so I feel the need to keep it covered. I'm tired of the Band-aid look, but I know it's all temporary. Thanks for responding and let me know how yours heals.
Blessings, Julie
Julie, thanks for your response. I guess doctor's are a little different. I had to leave my first bandage on for 72 hours and don't see him again until a month is up. My white skin is now growing across the bottom and filling in. When I pulled it out, it made a deeper hole, but not evenly. I don't know. I think it is ok and I am leaving it alone now. Some folks here have talked about lazering afterwards and no one has mentioned that to me, so maybe if the skin is "odd" after its all grown in, that can be done. I had my first skin cancer 4 or 5 years ago, and now have had 9 or 10, so that's why I say to keep seeing the dermatologist. I've heard the same from others. Smaller is better of course. All others have been quick and easy healing, but this was my first Moh's. Hopefully, there will be no regrowth! Take Care, Claudia
hi my doctor did the MOHS on my nose, i had a very bad bcc, 5 layers, it has all grown in now 3 weeks later, however i do have a scar & some redness. the lazer will take that away& my dr. told me that i get all the lazer i need until im satidfied how it looks, it comes with the procedure, because lazer could be quite expensive, like mohs is expensive as well , but i believe it the best choice, especially on the face.
so find out sometimes if you dont ask they dont tell.... Good Luck pattie
For the record, I'm a 43 year old male, so looks are probably not as important as they used to be. Although I'm a bachelor, so there is some concern.
But also let me state that I was totally unprepared for the "reconstructive surgery". My cancer was on the nasel rim, so a flap was used to close up the hole left behind. I pretty much paniced when I could tell that the doctor was pulling on my skin to put it back together. Blood was draining down into my eye and no one was with me, so that was no fun.
The first 3-4 days were rough. I was not looking forward to explaining this surgery and scar for the next week, month, year.
However, after 1 week of wearing a bandage and going to the doctor every other day to be rebandaged, let me say I am in shock now at how fast this thing has healed up. Maybe it's my skin, maybe it was a damn good doctor? But I'm feeling much better.
The only thing that I can see is that I no longer have a crease between my nose and face, no indention so to speak. But the dr says this will get better. Right now it's still a bit swollen.
My only wish is that I had found this website before I had the surgery. I would not have been in panic mode for the procedure or the first 4 days.
FYI for anyone: Dr. George Tisdale, Birmingham, Alabama. The 2nd surgeon in Alabama to be certified for this surgery so I hear.
Also: This was my 2nd surgery. The first was done by a Plastic Surgeon with alot more fanfare (not Mohs). Obviously it was unsuccessful.
I will be having Mohs surgery on my nose for squamous cell cancer. Thanks for the positive comments, I'm not quite so panicky. My immediate goals are to get rid of this scurge on my nose so I can live another 52 years and I don't want to have a WC Fields or Michael Jackson nose.
Good luck Kathi, i had it on my nose as well, its been a lil over a month & i have been going for Fraxel laser treatments to remove scarring & redness, although it was minimul the scar, the lasor is wonderful & it included in the insurance along with the mohs procedure, it could be very costly, but the Fraxel is working fine & it put collagen back so long term i think i will have a great outcome. pattie
Hi Pattie, the surgery went well 6 days ago. My dermatologist just had to cut one time. It was a fairly good size cut, so he had to do a graft. Tomorrow I get the stitches out. I'm hoping I can get this big bandage off my face! I work in an elementary school and the conversations with kids have been interesting to say the least. The cold was more of a bother on my nose than I expected. All in all it hasn't been so bad. Thanks for your good wishes. How go the laser treatments?
hi Kathy, I.m glad to hear from you & that everything went well ! yes the bandages were annoying, i had mine around Halloween so i told the trick or treaters I was frankenstein ! anyway I found keeping the bandgage dry all the time was good for healing, everytime i showered or washed my face i changed the bandgage & put Aquaphor ointment on it with a q tip & it really was great , i still use it on my face because the cold does bother it, thats normal, new skin. I dont know if its the same for a graph, I had a flap done, I think because mine was very deep.
after the stitches you will just have to wear a small bandgage to keep it clean.
especially around children.
they had to put a hold on my laser treatment , they found a lil spot & biopsed it & i have to have another mohs, I dont think its that bad so I will have it done the 9th of jan. & then get al the laser @ once. so i will have a whole new face ,lol. However if you should need any laser ask about the fraxel, I found with just one treatment iI see a noticible differance, it is laser with collagen in it so serves 2 purposes.
Maybe you wont ned , the skin really grows back so fast.
Im sure the whole process will take at least a year to be complete & then we have to watch the sun. Very happy you did well, have a wonderful Holiday & a great New Year. Pattie
Hi Pattie, I'm sure you were a lovely Frankenstein. Another round in January? Good luck. My doctor told me to use good old vaseline on my graft and lots of it. I go back in three months for a re-check. From what so many other people are writing I seem to have gotten off fairly easy. When I go out I cover the graft site with a bandaid but around the house I can keep it uncovered. My stitches are dissolvable, so the nurse trimmed them back rather than remove them. A bandaid is so much better than the big bandage, I told people it looked like I was wearing maxi pads on my face. It is so much easier to keep it clean and dry now. Take care and keep in touch. Merry Christmas! Kathy
Hi Pattie, I picked up some aquaphor at the drugstore for later use. That and a whole assortment of band-aids. When I get back around 100s of kids and their not-so-clean sneezes after winter break I suspect I will want to cover up my graft site. Are there any swimmers out there? My doctor said I could go swimming after a couple weeks but I'm a bit nervous about leaving my skin graft in the pool. I gave each member of my family a bottle of spf 50 face sun screen for Christmas. Here's to 2009! May we all have beautiful skin in the New Year!
Hi very smart Christmas gift, I really dont know about the swimming, especially a poll, me personally i would not go in a pool, i would wait a good long time, i think with this is to keeo it as clean as possible, better for healing & less scaring, a nice salt water ocean i would jump right in!maybe ask doctor, well good luck to you, keep me posted how you made out, im sure you will like the aquaphor, to tell you the truth i use it everynight on my face & my skin never look so good. a lil greesy though.but very good.To a great "2009 " & no more sun girls, just small amouts with sun screen. something i never used. pattie
Hi Pattie, A nice dip in the salt water of the Caribbean sounds good right about now. Not many sea breezes here in the Midwest. This last week has been crazy weather, everything from subzero wind chills to flooding to fog enshrouded airports to tornado watches. Nope, no sea breezes unfortunately. I was extracting promises from friends at a party last night to wear sunscreen. You had a good point about keeping my nose clean in the pool. As much as they try to keep it clean the fact remains that hundreds of people are in the water every day. I think I'll put swimming laps on the back burner for a couple more weeks, at least until it looks more like skin and less like a raw spot in the middle of my face. Happy New Year to everyone!
hi, the weather is crazy here in N.Y as well, last week we had freezin rain & a foot of snow & today it was almost 60 degree's, go figure ! that is a good idea about the pool, better safe than sorry.after i have this next procedure i just might take a trip to a nice ocean, that has to be the best thing for the skin !
Have a wonderful New Year !
Happy New Year Pattie and everyone! My surgery was almost 3 weeks ago and already it's looking more pink than raw. I've been keeping it well covered with Vaseline. One of the tricky points is forgetting to be careful when I sneeze or blow my nose. Oh, the things we never needed to think about. Your next round is next week, right? Good luck, keep me posted. Kathy
Hi Kathy that is wonderful ! the first time i had to sneeze i tried to stop it ! i was so scared ,even now im very careful when i wash my face, still sore underneath due to the many layers, but it looks wonderful. yes my next app.is this friday the 9th. im a little anxious because now i know, although it was never painful. I thank you for you good wishes & im keepin positive, hopefully im in & out 
. take care Kathy im happy you are doing so well. its a beautiful thing what we can over come...take care i'll keep you posted. pattie
Pattie, Good luck on Friday. I'm back at school this week and it's fun getting compliments from 8 year old kids that my nose is looking good. I'm keeping vaseline on my nose and am skipping the band-aids. So far I haven't had any kids sneezing or coughing in my general direction. It still doesn't look quite up to swimming. I guess that will just take a bit more time. The graft is looking more like my usual skin tone but a little bumpy on the edges. From what others are writing that will probably settle down soon. Kathy
Hi Kathy, thanks for the good wishes, I'm happy to say , i got lucky yesterday ! only 1 swipe & 13 small stitches, it was not too deep, so i'am very grateful.
you sound like everything is moving right along that is wonderful. I think that is a good idea to keep some kind of ointment on it for a while, especially around kid's, the lil germ carriers 
so i go back next friday to get stitches out & more laser treatment.
i wanted to post here, my doctor recemended to me this treatment called laser PDT photodynamic, it is a light treatment that they give you to kill any pre-cancerous cells that could be forming ( God forbid ) but in my case beiing i had it 2x she recomends it. and she says it really evens out the skin from scars -discoloration etc. so i will wait a month and see, it is covered by ins. just throwing it out there, I truly hope no on here ever need anymore of anything ! God Bless, Kathy have a great weekend & thanks again. we i will be snowed in for 2 days, couldnt have come at a better time !
PEACE pattie
Hi Pattie, how are you healing up? I'm doing quite well. Tomorrow it will be six weeks since the cancer was removed and skin graft stitched in place. It looks a little bumpy and the color is just a tiny bit different from the rest of my nose but I'm the only one who notices. The cold doesn't bother it anymore. For any other swimmers out there, I waited 5 weeks before getting back to swimming laps and it has gone fine. I put a big dose of vaseline on the graft site and it was still there after being in the pool just over an hour. Chlorine has nothing on Vaseline! Winter can't last forever, keep the sunblock handy.
It took a few visits and specimens from my nose to get the final diagnosis, maybe a month altogether. I had no questions about the doctor I was seeing. I had been to him in the past and had been satisfied then. Also, I asked friends and co-workers and it turned out someone had had the Mohs procedure on her nose a few years prior, same doctor, and I couldn't see the scar until she pointed it out in good light. Friend references seem to be pretty reliable. I'm glad I had it done. It's been 8 months and all is well. Like my friend, no one knows unless I point it out. Does that help?
PLEASE know what you are getting into!! Please use Mohs as a last resort,, not a first resort. Especially with a small BCC. Ask your doctor to draw lines on your face to show where he will cut. I am traumatized by a whole new nose, an incision from between the nostrils alll the way up to between the eyebrows and reshaped. I would never have chosen Mohs if I knew I was getting a new nose job. I had shallow small dot of BCC on side of nose. I expected at most a 1/4 inch incision and a couple of stiches. My nose is shorter, nostrils enlarged and pushed up piggy style, upper lip is longer (I guess pulled up). I hate it. I could have opted to have it burned off and be left with just a white spot , rather than a line all down my nose and a nose replacement. Just AWFUL.
hi sue, i'm sorry you had a bad expierence with the mohs, but i still do think its the best option, it only takes away bad cells,i just had a very small dot on my nose as well & i would up getiing close to 30 stitches, i looked like miss piggy too ! it probably was worse than you thought, just like me. now to look at my nose you could hardly see it, it stays swollen for a long time ,months, when the swelling goes down all the skin gets lose again & everything reshapes, you might need some kind of laser treatment, however the skin rejuvinates itself. give it time. when i first took my bandage off @ home i almost fainted, it was the first time i saw it....trust me. i have photos if you want i will send them too you before & after.It just takes time, i know how you feel. but in my opinin the mohs is still the best wat to go, thank goodness they got it out. take care pattie
I appreciate your encouragement, however, I am inconsolable and traumatized. Don't get me wrong, Mohs may be the procedure of choice, when all else fails, or the carcinoma warrants it.
My reason for posting was to warn people reading this, to KNOW what you are getting into, so that you can make informed choices. I wish I had read someone's post that told me to ask the doctor to Draw A Line on your face where he will cut. If he says he won't know till he begins the procedure, ask him to draw the best case, and the worst case scenarios.
I had small, very slow growing, dot. I would have had it burned off, and be left with a small white spot as a scar, but my nose intacct. I NEVER would have agreed to a restructured nose with a scar down the entire length. If the BCC came back, I would have tried radiation. Only then, if the BCC came back yet again, would I feel forced to consent to this as a last resort.
hi sue,I feel your pain, the thing with the mohs is that when you leave there you are cancr free ! you dont know how bad it is until they take that first layer off ! thats why its important to do research BEFORE procedure, & get to know your doctor, listen if it was that bad i wouldnt be going back for a second procedure, but i dont want cancer on my face...give it time, i had a very tiny dot & i had 5 layers removed !i wouldnt have it any other way, try not to be negative, it doesnt help the healing process. it is scary, it is unbelievable i know how you feel, in 6months you will be happy with you results.. anything is better than not taking care of it... GOD BLESS.
Let's stop this, "Pattie". I'm not interested in this ongoing conversation with you. You are obviously a big proponent of Mohs, (are you a paid advertiser?, I see you have alot of posts in here to rally people around Mohs).
You are subtly disarming and depriving me of my point of view, by telling me that I "did the right thing", and that I really will be happy eventually. Puh leeese. Shut up already.
To any readers: my recommendation is still to try other less disfiguring options first, unless, of course, you are not all that fond of your nose and are willing to try a nose remodeling that leaves a scar all down the center of your nose.
id rather not argue with you either & im not a paid anything, if you look @ other peoples post they are all satisfied with their outcome, I dont think just because you are a negative person that you have the right to lay that on anyone else, we come here for support not to argue, you obviously make the wrong choice for yourself & didnt do your homework, or had a poor doctor ! you made your own choices. this is not a complaint board ! deal wit it.
dear sue
please, please don't stop posting your opinion- i just found this site-and find it very informative- the experience you had and the information you gave is so very valued-it is hard enough to share traumatizing experiences-but you did it-and did it for all of us out here who need to know all the facts-most people trust their doctors to do the best thing for minimal scarring-what else can you do-they are the "experts" right? not always the case-look what you have been through-it is so very important to give everyone the facts- both sides of the story-the good stories and the bad-and you did just that- i bet after you posted back and forth-you finally said"after what i have been through-i certainly don't need this s--" i applaud you for sharing your expereince-and i hope you will continue to inform people of their choices when it comes to treating skin cancer/mohs-etc-if not on this site-then somewhere...anywhere-don't stay quiet!!! don't be put off-be heard!!
mk
My 3-month post-Mohs report. I have an ugly scar down the entire length of my nose. It is bumpy in places, indented in others. Nose all red, but I believe that will dissipate. My original nose is still no where to be found. How could it be? He cut out an oval shaped piece all down my nose! I don't at all like my new nose. My old one suited me.
At this 3-month stage, I still adivse everyone to be very cautious with Mohs on your nose. I still very much regret not having read sites like this first. Know what you are getting into. Have the doctor drawn lines on your nose. Don't be scared of BCC, it is not malignant. Take your sweet time in deciding what to do. If I could only do it over again, I would try everything else first, including burning it off (curetage), or a small skin graft. Either would have left less damage. Mohs is very invasive. I had the head of Mohs at a leading NY medical facility, so this was no beginner.
Sue,
I'm so sorry for your experience. I have a bad feeling something went terribly wrong in your case, because that is precisely the scenario Mohs is intended to prevent. They are ONLY supposed to remove cancerous tissue, plus a very small perimeter. That's why they leave you on the table between "takes". They actually biopsy the perimeter cells to make sure they got it all, but no more than necessary.
I'm not pro-Mohs or anti-Mohs.I recently had it done on my inner ear, and today got my first real look at how it's healing. Unfortunately, I don't have a ridge anymore in the ear! The inside is flat. Someone forgot to mention that, and I'm not thrilled. BUT...it was a nasty tumor that I let fester for over a year by trying all other treatments. It had to go. But I had no idea it was so big!
In my case, what happened that even though the external tumor looked pretty small (pencil eraser), the cancer had widely spread into the cartelidge and under the skin. I don't know about the nose, but I spoke with two unrelated docs after, and they confirmed that can happen, especially in areas of the body with little fat separating the skin and cartilidge (fat traps the cancer on the inside). So the area they removed was 10x what I'd *seen*. Necessarily. In fact, if I'd ignored it much longer or continued with the less invasive options (we'd frozen it and scraped it many times already), I very well may have lost my ear.
I know my surgeon only took what was needed, because he worked very slowly and had to go back in 4 times to get the full tumor.
Anyways, I sincerely hope your scar eventually gets much better. Best of luck to you.
(and Pattie, seriously, scram.)
One other comment for everyone asking about Aldara - I've done that too (on my lips).
Yes, it's a pain in the butt.
Yes, it looks hideous.
Yes, it's moderately painful (mostly depending on where, much more so if it's a place you move often).
But it's way better than Mohs (although in my experience Mohs is more for deeper cancers, Aldara for surface cancers...)
Much better and more effective than Efudex.
And when it works, its like childbirth. While you're doing it it sucks, but the end result is gorgeous. Seriously, my lips looked 25 years younger. As a bonus (lol) all cancers were G-O-N-E. We have to do it again in 6 months or so according to my derm (it was 3 years ago), and I'm kinda looking forward to it.
Anyways, the point is it's not so bad I fear it. And the real benefits (getting rid of *surface* skin cancers), are very real.
Sue,
You are right on. I took matters into my own hands after finding out I had BSC on my nose. My dermatologist did not provide any counseling on options, just automatically set me up to have the Mohs treatment. After doing some research and speaking with my long term PCP and a Mohs specialist, I opted for "frozen sections" with a facial plastic surgeon and a flap. Each removed section was immediately tested for clear margins and if not clear, the process would have been repeated - while I was under anaesthesia... surgery was performed very comfortably in a hospital. It has been about 2 months and things are looking pretty good. The scar is almost gone and most people can't even see it. My nostrils aren't perfectly symmetrical anymore but now that the scar is disappearing and the swelling is going down, I can live with it - I don't have a choice anyway. My surgeon explained all of the things he was going to do and all of the possible complications. I would NOT have been a good candidate for Mohs as I can't tolerate seeing blood or pain. I was not impressed at all with the Mohs process although I do understand it is highly effective. I think the bottom line is that patients should be adequately counseled and the docs should make sure that the patient is presented with options along with the pros and cons of each...empowering them to make an educated decision. That info should be provided by the doctor and patients should not be left on their own to perform the research or have the decison made for them as my dermatologist tried to do. It sounds like you had more lasting visual changes and I am sorry to hear that - have you asked a facial plastic surgeon about it? They may have some ideas to help get things more back to normal...best of wishes
I just had Mohs 4 days ago for bcc on the side of my nose. I do think a person has the right to make an informed decision. It was my choice to have the surgery and I'm glad I did because what seemed like a tiny white spot not even visible with makeup became a very deep cancer. It was also growing toward my tearduct. I have about a 2 inch incision with stitches. What convinced me to have the surgery was simple...I'd leave with all of the cancer removed from the site. Basil cell carcinoma can be as dangerous as any other if left untreated. I chose to not just treat the surface. What lies beneath is where the true danger resides. I'm not saying that to scare anyone. I'm just saying...which is more important? Vanity with the option for reconstruction or your life. I chose my life. It's hard living with the "C" word not matter what type. My mother had several bcc's treated topically, but we lost her to ovarian this year. The same with 3 of my sisters...breast cancer survivors...and a brother, prostate survivor. To me, cancer is cancer and if it can be totally removed, that's the way I will choose to always go. I don't like the looks of my face right now either and it does hurt, but I'm thankful it was caught in time. I wish you all well and a long life! Next year has got to be better!
Patti,
I think that last comment was extremely rough and insensitive, knowing what this person is going through. I understand your viewpoint, and perhaps you felt attacked, but take a few breaths and then look at the language you chose. It is very hurtful language. I think you owe that person, who is obviously struggling deeply and very raw right now, an apology. I actually think it was quite horrible what you said... Hope you can be mature enough to see that that attack for what it was and make some kind of amends, for yourself as much as for the other person...
Hi,
I am a 31 year old Australian girl about to have surgery. I have been told my scar will be just like yours... down my nose and under (a nose flap). Would you suggest me telling my plastic surgeon to do a skin graft if the cancer is reatively small and only the nose flap if it is bigger? Also, what healing creams are good? Apparently the massage following surgery is important for scar healing?
I woud love to see your photos! I just had Moh's Monday for a superficial basal cell on the left nose tip. I was cautiously optimistic thinking the surgeon would do one to two swipes and let it heal on its own since that was originally an option. It was two swipes, but he suggested having a PS do the repair, which reconstructive surgery on my nose. I had a flap done with skin from the back cheek near my ear. So I went in hoping to be in and out, no stitches, etc. Amazingly, my cancer did nto present itself as a bump, sore, or pearly nodule, just a slightly rough piece of skin maybe 1/2mm. Having a history of skin cancer on my face, and knowing what to look for, I was suspicious and had my dermatologist do a biopsy which came back superficial basal cell, which is generally the very start of the basal cell, if I am correct, so I am thinking small potatoes. Caught it early before any bump, nodule, bleeding, etc,
If you could see me now! I was shocked when the Moh's surgeon showed me the hole. I was upset, but remained collected. Off to the PS and he initally was going to do a graft, but upon further investigation, decided on a flap. So i have about an inch long incision on the diagonal and a "check mark" incision fsticking out of the long incision. Looks like a check mark!
I plan to post this to the main to see if anyone out there had such a serious surgery for just a superficial basal cell carcinoma.
Sorry to ramble, but I would appreciate seeing your post op pictures. Best.
i had a bcc on my nose 21/2 yrs ago, it was just a pimple to me, i waited to long.
to make a long story short i had mohs surgery 4 swipes & i chose not to look before i got home, neeedless to say when i got home that evening i almost fainted, i had 36 stitches ...ok
the flap is the best choice in my opinion it gets circulation back, sometime the graft dont...i had @ least 4 fraxel laser treaments & recently i had PDT ( photodynamic treatment ) its basically the worst sunburn you ever had & then some, first night it was bad, my doc told me to soak white wash clothes in milk to sooth, the put a moisteriser of your choice, i like to use La Roshay Pose google it ) tourleim riche is the cream..very good.. its 3 mths later my skin looks beautiful if i may say so myself..if you want pics i will send, not sure to uploar on herewilling to share them before / after..it takes a lil time & lots of car good care. good luck
I woulld love to see photos, i am 28yrs old and had a car accident and ended up with a skn graft above my eye and under my eye brow losing the firt pasrt of my eye brow, iam practically suicidal now and on anti depressents as i cannot look at myself and deal with the graft. Iam a registered nurse and havent been able to go bak to work in 2 months! I would love to see some healing photos for hope and inspiration!
Last December (2007), I had Mohs surgery on two places on my face. One at the hairline and one in the corner of my nose. I was told it would take 6 months for the one by my nose to heal completely and one year for the one at my hairline to heal.
So now, after one year, the one by my nose is still numb and when I sneeze or blow my nose, there is a cold runny feeling inside my skin. The DA also left a large "knot" right beside my mouth which looks like my mouth is drooping. I'm not at all satisfied and think it looks awful.
The one at my hairline is not healed either. It is still numb from the incision to the top of my head. There is also a "live" nerve that sends a "zap" through my head every time I touch it. I haven't been able to go to my hairdresser since the surgery.
Do you think something went wrong with the surgery, or does this sound normal?
Bobbie
I agree i had mine done in oct. & my nose i pretty much back to normal, will take months or longer for it to ever look the same, you know some people heal diffrently, if you have other medical conditions, high blood pressure, diabetes , etc. the way you eat all that is a component in healing..might just take a lil longer. everyones differant..take care.
I had the tip of my nose done several years ago by another dr and it healed quick and you can't tell anything was ever done to it. And he had to graph skin to the spot.
I got a staph infection in the nose incision a few days after this surgery, so I'm thinking maybe that's causing the site to heal slower.
I do have high blood pressure but I've had that for years.
oh wow sorry to hear that, that staph infection is not suppose to happen, you might still nedd a strong bout of antibiotics even though that was a yr ago, thats staph is very dangerous some people dont recover from that, did you have your procedure in a hospital ? thats usually where you pic that up. that room has to be totally sterile, i have mine done isn the doctors office, & with every layer removed she did open a new sterile pac, I guess at the time your going through this these thiings we dont think of, good luck to you ! pattie
Thanks Pattie! I had mine done in the doctors office and I might need to check on the antibiotic thing. I haven't talked to the dr that did the surgery because I was so mad because of the outcome. The woman that did the closing was tired, pregnant, and had a cold. Since it took 8 hrs for the surgery, I'm sure she didn't want to be there. So when she stitched me up, she left a big knot of skin at the corner of my mouth that looks awful now. I'm all wrinkled up by my mouth. Made me mad! But I guess I need to go to my regular dermatologist and see what he says.
maybe your better off going to the derm, thats messed up because someones not feeling well that should take it out on a patient, especially this issue. this is sensitive on the mind too, this is our face & they should relly do the best they can to see we are satisfied with the outcome & she shouldnt there in the 1st place if she has a cold ! after my mohs i had 1 treatment of FRAXEL laser it really does wonders smoothes out the skin & really lightens up any scarring, after i have this next procedure i will continue the Fraxel , my dortor includes it in with the mohs procedure fee as many as i need to be happy with the outcome, which usually 3or4. & by 6 months to a yr it should hardly be noticeable, maybe you can ask your dermatagolist, i think its expensive though. but worth it, it has collagen in it, if you have time, google all the laser treatments & this way you can see what might work for you, im sure your scaring isnt & shouldnt be permanent, & you have all the reason to be mad thats just not right. Im sure there is something they can do atleast to make you happy . why wait any longer & settle for something that your not happy with... take care pattie
Ummm, Pattie, I don't know who you think you are fooling, but I can tell by your forced abbreviations, deliberate mispellings and extensive knowledge of medical terminology and procedures that you are in the medical profession. Seriously, anyone with the kind of extensive knowledge that let slip in your postings would not make the ridiculous grammatical errors that you are making. You remind me of the geek kid in school that tried too hard to be cool. In some postings you sound sixteen and in other postings, you sound thirty-five. You are trying so hard to make it look like you are not a medical professional, you are overcompensating. When you grow up with a physician father, you learn that those in the profession talk a certain way and don't realize they are doing it. You, my friend, scream medicine. I don't know why you feel it necessary to lie, but it is disconcerting and makes you look suspicious. Please stop.
I had Mohn surgery for a reoccurence of basal cell on the side of my nose. Had a skin graft taken from behind my ear. The area is about the size of a quarter on the side of my nose. It was very deep and had sent out roots behind the cartilage. They had to go in six times. This was done six weeks ago and I have a dent and a spot which still has not healed completely and bumps appearing in the graft. I go back next week and am terrified that maybe the cancer returned beneath the graft. Can this happen this fast or is this all fairly normal?
I went to the dermatologist today and all is well. I was told the graft is healing well and the bumps etc. can be smoothed out with dermabrasion in about a month. I was assured it was not the skin cancer returning. I can cover the graft with a little makeup coverstick and face powder which makes it pretty much unnoticeable to others. I go back in April for the dermabrasion. In the meantime I must massage the area with scar gel in an effort to break it down. Good luck to others facing Moh's surgery.
I was reading all of the comments on this page, and no one mentioned any pain after their incision was made. I had a bcc on my forehead, close to my hairline. The doctor got it all the first time, but I could smell him cauterizing my wound and then he had to do a flap on my forehead to close it. What has resulted is a VERY painful two inch long incision with about 15 stitches.
I was completely unprepared for this because every one that I had talked to before my surgery said it was "no big deal" but most of these people did not have the Mohs surgery. My doctor gave me prescription pain meds, but I could barely work for four hours today and have two small children to take care of. How long will this pain last? Is this normal? I couldnt' get in touch with the doctor's office today and couldn't get an answer to these questions. I know that I am not a wimp, I had a c-section and was walking through the hospital the next day with out problems.
Thanks,
ATB
Hi, ATB
I, too had Moh's Surgery on my forehead many years ago. My scar is 2 inches long.
Hardly noticeable. Yes, the night of and the day after surgery there is a lot of pain.
Don't be bashful to request pain pills. My pain was from the fact that the surgeon
had a couple of dissolvable stitches into the covering of the skull for support.
Every time I grimaced at night during my sleep the first night it was very painful.
Must say that 2 days later it wasn't even a concern. I guess the skin on the fore-
head is pretty thin. Must have to immobilze it for a bit. Fear not you will heal just
fine. Mine was 13 years ago and I haven't had a repeat! Good Luck to you.
AzLady
I had Mohs surgery on both of my lower legs. I asked for the incision to be closed with stitches in the vertical lines to go with my other wrinkles. I got a round hole on each of my legs, not stitched. They are not healing well and drain all the time. I have to use Duoderm to cover the holes. Each patch was supposed to stay on for 3 days before changing. They drained out of the Duoderm patch, so now I have to use it and then cover it with gauze and paper tape. I asked for stitches, but didn't get them. I don't know how long this is going to take. I am not happy with this surgery.
Hi,
I just (this morning) had Mohs surgery on my right hand for SCC that had recurred after previous treatments: curettage and cautery. The dermatologist's assistant covered it while I was waiting for the Mohs result, then the dermatologist came back to tell me that it was all out. She then closed the approx. penny-size hole with 5-6 stitches and put bandage on it. I was asked to keep the bandage on until at least tomorrow.
For many hours afterwards I didn't feel any pain or discomfort so I used my hand like I didn't have a surgery and got the bandage a little wet and soiled. So I removed the bandage, put antibacterial cream on the wound and changed the bandage. At that time I saw how big the scar is. Now, hours later, I feel pain, my skin feels tight and swollen and I can't make a fist, so I am concerned whether I should try to excercise it so it will heal properly or leave it be and see what happens. I play tennis so a strong grip is important to me. I was stupid that I didn't read these posts before surgery.
In any case, reading your comments, I am not sure that stitching was right and best way for the cut to be healed without leaving much of a mark or should I have the stitches taken out and let it heal naturally. What do you guys think? Did anyone had this kind of operation on the hand?
Can someone please recommand a very good Dr. who do Mohs surgery in california bay area? My sister in law has a 8mm BCC on her face.
She can go online to the American Society of Mohs Surgery:
This is an excellent resource to locate & verify Mohs surgeons in specific cities or zips. When she finds a surgeon, it is also ok to ask his or her office for patient testimonials as well as before/after pics of their work.
(I am spending far too much time on this website! 3 or 4 posts on my 1st visit! But, I think it is therapeutic for me... it feels good to read/write about Mohs... the community is a healing place...)
Has anyone on this forum ever used CYMILIUM or CURADERM for treatment of skin cancer?
Do you think these products would work?
http://www.cymilium.com/SkinCancer.html
http://www.curaderm.net/technology/diseasestreatablenmc.aspx
I have used Aldara Cream 5% and was very happy with the final results. The eight to ten weeks using the Aldara is rough. The first four weeks nothing happens and then it starts to work. Ask you Dermatologist to show you the brochure on Aldara. If the Aldara is working for you it will look like the brochure. After you stop using the Aldara your skin is very smooth. Talk to your Dematologist
Stephen:
My situation has changed since I asked the question about the aforementioned products. I was healed of cancer. I used PERRINS BLEND. Here is my story. Btw, I am "Rose Petal" on this forum.
http://www.topicalinfo.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=563
Stephen:
When I received my diagnosis of SCC, I consulted with a Mohs surgeon, a radiation oncologist and a plastic surgeon (which I was told was mandatory because the wound was large and deep). Every doctor recommended surgery or radiation. The plastic surgeon, however, believed radiation was a VERY poor choice.
I was not monitored by any doctor while using PERRINS BLEND. Most doctors will probably not endorse a cream that isn't FDA approved.
I discovered PERRINS BLEND while doing research in the Internet.
I had Mohs surgery about 5 years ago - my upper eye brow and the side of my nose. My eyebrow was just pulled together and stitched but my nose required a skin graft from the side of my ear. When the stitches were removed I was not really sure what to think!! The grafted area was white (and I have fair complection) but after several weeks, the color came back. People tell me now that do not see the scar - wonderful world of makeup. I had a wonderful surgeron in Memphis - this scar is between the size of a dime and nickel - but I am very pleased with the outcome!! If I only knew 30 years ago about sun effects!!
I had my surgery on Wednesday and went back to work on Friday - I did this because I am not one to sit around and I really felt like working. I did cover up my nose with gauze and paper tape (just to make it look better) but I did get lots of questions about what happened (car wreck, etc). It was really not that bad - I do office work so I did not have to bend down (that may have been uncomfortable).
Good luck - don't be discouraged - I have healed and it really looks good!! People who don't know that I had this done tell me that it is not noticeable and I had a large area to be grafted. My mother has had this done twice (side of nose and tip of nose)- she is now 79 and you can't notice hers either!!
Twyla
I have been reading all these posts about the mohrs surgery. I am having a biopsy in a couple weeks for a spot on my lower eyelid that wont go away and my opthalmologist thinks it is cancer and said she would want to do the mohrs surgery on it if it is. After seeing these posts I'm even more scared than I was when I read about 2 inch scars and nickle deep incisions and here we are talking about my eye. Is there anyone out there who has had eyelid Mohrs surgery and if so how bad was the experience and the scarring? I'm a 48 yr old single female and scared to death of my appearance afterwards. I just found this site so not sure if this is the correct place to post this question.
i had the same nose and next to eye. if its about an 8th of inch from eye, i think you will be okay. dr chow from cola,sc did it. after the surgery, the girl told me if it had been any closer , i would have one eye like dr. chow. that made me think, why wouldnt they warn me. i had the surgery on october 8th, 2008. it is now august 6th 2009. the area around the eye is slighty elevated, but looks ok. all my life people tell me i look like robert redford. (jeremiah johnson) or (all the pres, men). the nose took 3 scapes. the eye took 2. i had the worst problem with the nose. i had mohs on both, but the hole on the nose was small at first, after stitches. i think they missed part of the small hole. the uneven hole got bigger over the months. when i went back 6 months later, i said, look at this. it looked terrible to me. they re-stitched it. looks alot better now. i had a third bbc between my nose and cheek, in june. why do they stick a mirror in your face after surgery? i said i didnt want to look at it , ill look at it tomorrow, when i redress it. watch the movie with tom cruise, i forget the title, where he is disfirgured in a car accident. it's not preety at first, but it will heal within 6 months or less, depends on the scrapes. good luck. feel free to email me
Hi! I came across your site by accident and after reading it I thought my story (with images) on my mohs surgery may benefit those contemplating this course of action, especially to the nose, which I had done. Yes, I am happy with the results.
This is the link:
http://stvincentsdarlinghurstmalenurses.blogspot.com/2009/01/skin-cancer-nose-no-boundaries.html
I had Mohs Surgery on my nose yesterday, with a skin graft. It looks really yucky and deep. The incision in front of my ear is good. Can someone tell me how long my nose will look bad? I am cleaning with 3% peroxide and applying Polysporin. Should I keep bandaged or is it best to leave un-bandaged with extra vaseline or polysporin?
Thanks to all for the information. It is very helpful to hear about others who have gone through this. I am a 57-year-old woman who had a 4 mm by 5 mm bcc removed from the front of my nose near the tip, then sutured with 5 stitches, no graft. I too freaked out when I took the gauze bandage off after 48 hours. I expected to see the suture line (t-shaped), but I did not expect to see what looked like a gaping red hole on the front of my nose. I immediately made an unscheduled visit to my doctor, who reassured me that everything was fine. The red area was just some blood that had come out of the incision. Today is day 12. I am still wearing a bandaid when I go out but not at home. I am using Polysporin. The red crusty spot is still there. The skin next to the incision is red and bumpy. It looks to me like there will be a depression on my nose when the scab falls off. It is encouraging to hear that bumps and redness will probably go away, and even that a depression could fill in naturally. I know it takes time. My doctor told me it will take up to 6 months for the scar to "blend." I don't see him again until November 19. I am glad to have the bcc removed, but it is surprisingly traumatic to have this kind of injury to the front of the face. I am cautiously optimistic but also worried. I will post again.
Three weeks since my Mohs surgery. I'm now starting to feel optimistic. The scab has healed, and the depressed area has filled in. The skin in the area of the surgery is "bumpy and puffy," which is what my doctor told me to expect. It's kind of red too. Thanks to Sandy on this site, I am now using Aquaphor at home. I don't know if it will help the skin to heal or not, but if feels good to be doing something. I'm still wearing a bandaid when I go out. It's not as scary looking as before, but it still looks funky. Hope to get the nerve to stop wearing the bandaid in the next few days.
Four weeks since my Mohs surgery. I went back and forth with the bandaid for a few days this week and finally stopped wearing it 3 days ago. I don't want to gross anyone out. I can tell store clerks and other strangers notice something is wrong, but they hardly register it. The area where the bcc was removed is still bumpy and reddish, maybe a little less than last week. Today I decided it looks like someone splashed acid on my nose. The big worry all along has been: is this it, or will it continue to improve? I guess only time will tell. I see my doctor in 3 weeks. Can anyone tell me, will the laser treatment be offered at the 7-week point, or will I have to wait 6 months? My doctor told me it takes 6 months for the scar to "blend." Will post again next week. I don't know if anyone is reading this, but it sure was helpful to me to find this site, and helpful to have a place to write about my progress, even if no one is reading it but me.
Hi, Diagnosed with BCC, upper lip and upper cheek, below my eye. Very small spots. Wanted it cut out, Mohs surgery, but after talking to Plastic Surgeon decided to try Aldara first. I can't believe all the horror stories form either procedure. Sure was glad to find this web site...I'm not alone!! Will be starting Aldara on Sunday night, 5 days on 2 off for 8 weeks. Hope it works. It's gotta be better than skin grafts. Iv'e learned alot from internet but is so confusing. Some people have no problems and others have horrible experiences. It's hard to determine what choice will be best. I guess I'll find out......
Good luck! I will post an update again tomorrow. I did not know about Aldara before my Mohs surgery. However, a few years ago I had a bcc on my forhead, just under the hairline. I was worried about a bald spot if I had it surgically removed, so I tired Efudex first, which may be similar to Aldara. It did not work. In that case, the Mohs surgery went extremely well. No bald spot. Just a short thin white line at the hairline. I have trouble finding it myself! From what I can understand, different parts of the face heal differently. Most parts heal really well. The tip of the nose, where I had my surgery 9/30, is more iffy. But I am still optimistic. Check my post tomorrow, at week 5.
It's so hard to be patient! It is now 5 weeks since the Mohs surgery on my nose. I am not seeing much improvement in the surgery area this week. Still bumpy and red. I feel discouraged, especially when I look in a mirror with an overhead light. I am using Aquaphor. I'm wearing a bandaid most nights because I once heard that a scar might heal better when it is deprived of oxygen. Who knows? Even though 5 weeks seems like an eternity, I know the spot isn't healed yet. It still hurts when I press on it. I've been told healing takes 3 to 6 months. But I'm starting to think I will definitely need laser treatments. I am very curious about them. How soon before the treatment can be done? How does it work? How well does it work? I may try contacting some earlier posters to learn more about the laser treatments. Will post again next week. I see my dermatologist again in 2 weeks. Wish it were sooner so I could get my questions answered.
Six weeks since the Mohs surgery on my nose. Shortly after I wrote my last post, my nose started to look better, a little less red and a little less bumpy. Or maybe I am just getting used to looking at it. No, I think it's actually quite a bit improved this week. Now that the area is less red I can see a tiny black dot. What the heck? I think the doctor didn't get all of the black sutures out! I am desperate for my appointment on November 19. Tried to move it up but couldn't. Anyway, feeling much better this week. I feel like I can go out in public a little more and not feel totally self-conscious. Will report on my doctor's appointment next week.
Finally got to see my doctor yesterday, 7 weeks after the Mohs surgery. There was indeed a piece of black suture still in my nose (!), which he removed. The tiny spot still looks black, which has me concerned. I was so looking forward to this appointment, as a chance to get more information, particularly about laser procedures. And I wanted my doctor to tell me how he felt the area was healing. I was disappointed. All the doctor said was that "it's only been 7 weeks," the scar will continue to soften for 6 months. This is basically the same thing he said at 1 week. It is like pulling teeth to get information out of this doctor. I went ahead and made an appointment for his FX laser treatment on January 7, but I did not get clear advice from him on whether this was the right step or not. I think he likes the patient to wait because often they decide to skip the laser after months go by. I think I will make an appointment to see my regular dermatologist in December for a second opinion. Very frustrating and disappointing. Now, after my nose was poked to remove the piece of suture, it is redder than it was. It is still lumpy, and I really cannot imagine the lumpiness going away without some additional treatment.
Wednesday was 12 weeks since my Mohs surgery. Last week I went back to my regular dermatologist. She reassured me that everything will be OK. I can't hear this too many times. Some days I look in the mirror and feel that my nose looks almost normal again. Other times I'll catch myself in a mirror at the gym or in a store and think, This still looks bad: depressed area with a raised diagonal scar in it. My regular dermatologist suggested I try using Curad Scar Therapy silicone pads at night and Mederma during the day. The pads are hard to find but are available at drugstore.com. After 10 hours, when the pad comes off, the scar looks fantastic: smooth and even. The effect seems to wear off after an hour or so. I am hopeful these pads will help somewhat over the long term. My dermatologist told me to wait 4 to 5 months from the surgery, then come in. If the scar is still raised, a cortisone shot will help. She told me to wait at least 6 months before having a laser treatment. This is such a long process! Very difficult on the self-image and confidence.
I am calling this post "Good Mirror, Bad Mirror." It is now 3.5 months since the Mohs surgery on my nose. It is one month since I began using Curad Scar Therapy. I made a pattern for the perfect size and shape of the clear silicone bandaids to cover the scar. I cut out a fresh piece daily and try to wear it for 12 hours, from 7:30 pm to 7:30 am. Maybe I'm just getting used to looking at the scar, or maybe it is actually getting a little smoother, partly with time and possibly on account of the silicone bandaids. I think more doctors should suggest using these. My Mohs dermatologist said they don't do anything, my regular dermatologist said I should give them a try. If others are like me, we just want to feel we are doing SOMETHING. It is so difficult to wait 6 months (or longer) with an unsightly scar on the front of your face. I called this post "Good Mirror, Bad Mirror" because, depending on the mirror I look in, my nose either looks awful or not so bad. I've been trying to analyze this, for example, what kind of lighting is above the good mirrors and what kind is above the bad mirrors. I look pretty good in my bathroom and my car. I still see a very visible depression with a raised scar going across it in the gym bathroom and (sigh) in the bathroom at my boyfriend's house (so demoralizing!) It's amazing how the mirror I look in can affect my feelings about how I look. I then wonder, How do I look to my friend across the dinner table at a restaurant? I realize others aren't obsessing about my face like I am. It's an interesting study in self-perception. Maybe what it says is, if I can just adjust my attitude, I will feel better. Anyway, back to the silicone bandaids. I found a great timeline online that goes into detail about what to expect when a scar is healing. I am going to prepare a version of this timeline for my Mohs dermatologist and suggest he give it to his patients. Here's a link to it: http://www.handhealthresources.com/Solutions%20Pages/therapy.htm
Come on, doctors! We need more information! It is difficult to wait, not knowing what to expect.
Another month has gone by. Now it has been 4.5 months since my Mohs surgery. I use Curad Scar Therapy on my nose every night from about 7 pm to 7 am. I think I said this before: when I first remove the silicone bandaid in the morning, my nose looks pretty good. An hour or so later it looks unchanged. So I don't really know if the bandaids are doing anything. It they are, it is very minor. As time goes on I am realizing that what bothers me most is the depression on the front of my nose where the bcc was removed. It looks exactly like what it is. Someone scooped a chunk of flesh out of my nose and sewed it back together. Sometimes I call it a crater, sometimes a depression, sometimes a giant pock mark. All of these descriptions are exaggerations, but when it's your face, that's how it feels. In 2 weeks I go back to my main dermatologist, Dr. A. I am really looking forward to seeing her. I feel like she gives me more objective information than the Mohs dermatologist, Dr. D. I have tried to research Active FX laser treatments. Sometimes they are used for acne scars. Will they really fill in the depression on my nose, or will they be a waste of time? Should I just go straight to a plastic surgeon? I don't mind having a small scar on my nose, but I want the old contour of my nose back, whatever it takes to get it back. I will keep posting.
It's been a long time since my last post. Today is exactly 6 months since my Mohs surgery. I saw my regular dermatologist at the beginning of March for a routine skin check. I took the opportunity to get her advice on my best options for improving the Mohs scar on my nose. Unexpectedly, while talking to her about my concerns, I started crying. I realized I had been trying so hard to be patient for 5 months and not dwell on the negative. But inside I was upset and discouraged. Yes, people tell me they can't even see the scar, and I guess in the right light that is true. But then I walk into a dressing room in a store, with a light directly over my head, and I see plain as day that there is a depression on the front of my nose, with a diagonal ridge going across it. At this moment it looks awful to me! Dr. A handed me a kleenex and offered to give me a referral to the plastic surgeon who is part of the same medical group. I will see her on April 15. Dr. A thinks maybe the plastic surgeon will decide to inject some filler into my nose to smooth out the depression. '"Isn't that temporary?" I asked. "Yes, but sometimes the tissue will fill in," is what I think she said. Or maybe the plastic surgeon will recommend a scar revision. That doesn't sound like fun. I am not yet at the point of acceptance though. Every night I still wear a silicone bandaid on my nose. I doubt that it's doing anything, except 1) it makes me feel better, and 2) I can't really see what my nose looks like when I'm wearing it. During the day I dab on my Laura Mercier concealer and powder. Those make me feel better too. I know part of the problem is in my head. The makeup helps my attitude more than anything. The Mohs doctor, Dr. D, kept telling me that the scar would continue to smooth out and blend for 6 months. Here I am at 6 months. This is also the point where I can get as many free FX laser treatments from Dr. D as I want. My biggest concern right now is the depression on my nose. I don't see how the laser can fix that. The scar itself is a secondary concern. Maybe once I deal with the depression I will have a laser treatment. Sigh. Now I am looking ahead to the one-year anniversary as a time when my nose may finally look OK again.
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When I saw the plastic surgeon, Dr. K, on April 29 (postponed from April 15), she advised me to go ahead and try one or two FX laser treatments. After each one, it takes about 6 months for the full effect to be seen. Then I could try filler, although she does not think it will work for the depression on the front of my nose, which is the result of tissue being removed. After I have tried laser and filler, if I'm still not happy, she suggested that she could excise the scar and reclose it. At the same time, she would shave a little cartilege off my nose just above where the tissue was removed. This would eliminate the dip I'm seeing in certain lights. Of course it would also change the contour of my nose -- basically, a nose job! "I don't want a nose job," I told her. "I just want my old nose back." Her reply, "Well, you can't get your old nose back."
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Today I saw the dermatologist who performed the Mohs surgery on me at the end of September, Dr. D. He said he thought my scar looked good, but FX laser could make it look better. He numbed my nose and did a 5-minute procedure. Now I'm wearing antibiotic cream on my nose for a few days. Then it will be pink for a while. Then it will do its thing: supposedly causing new collagen to grow. He thinks the depression could fill in, if not from the first treatment then from a second one in 6 months. He says the laser will also improve the color and smoothness of the scar.
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I find that now, at about 7.5 months, I am starting to care less about the appearance of the scar. I certainly plan to keep trying every improvement that is available (except for the nose job!), and I still have days when I get bummed out from seeing the scar in a bad mirror, usually in some public place. The other day I took a bunch of photos of myself at home, some up close, some at arm’s length, some with makeup, some without. This was a very helpful exercise. I found that I looked OK in the photos. I am accepting the scar. Also, I can see in the photos that it really doesn’t show as much as I sometimes think it does.
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Here's a clean version of my May 12 post, which showed up with a bunch of coding for some reason.
When I saw the plastic surgeon, Dr. K., on April 29 (postponed from April 15), she advised me to go ahead and try one or two FX laser treatments. After each one, it takes about 6 months for the full effect to be seen. Then I could try filler, although she does not think it will work for the depression on the front of my nose, which is the result of tissue being removed. After I have tried laser and filler, if I'm still not happy, she suggested that she could excise the scar and reclose it. At the same time, she would shave a little cartilege off my nose just above where the tissue was removed. This would eliminate the dip I'm seeing in certain lights. Of course it would also change the contour of my nose -- basically, a nose job! "I don't want a nose job," I told her, "I just want my old nose back." Her reply, "Well, you can't get your old nose back."
On May 12 I saw the dermatologist who performed the Mohs surgery on me at the end of September, Dr. D. He said he thought my scar looked good, but FX laser could make it look better. He numbed my nose and did a 5-minute procedure. Now I'm wearing antibiotic cream on my nose for a few days. Then it will be pink for a while. Then it will do its thing: supposedly causing new collagen to grow. He thinks the depression could fill in, if not from the first treatment then from a second one in 6 months. He says the laser will also improve the color and smoothness of the scar. He does not charge for these laser treatments, which are normally expensive. They are included in the (high) price of the Mohs surgery.
I find that now, at about 7.5 months, I am starting to care less about the appearance of the scar. I certainly plan to keep trying every improvement that is available (except for the nose job!), and I still have days when I get bummed out from seeing the scar in a bad mirror, usually in some public place. The other day I took a bunch of photos of myself at home, some up close, some at arm's length, some with makeup, some without. This was a very helpful exercise. I found that I looked OK in the photos. I am accepting the scar. Also, I can see in the photos that it really doesn't show as much as I sometimes think it does.
Another month has gone by. The FX laser treatment from May 12 seems to have made the scar on my nose almost invisible. This after one month. Supposedly, new collagen will continue to form for up to 6 months after the laser treatment. My nose is still reddish from the treatment. Apparently, this redness can take up to 3 months to go away. So am I happy? No! It felt good to say that. Yes, I'm vain, but it's just the way it is. The laser appears to have done little or nothing to address the depressed area on my nose. As I stated before, THIS is what looks terrible to me, not the scar. I feel better when I have a plan. So my new plan is this. 1) Make an appointment in mid-August to see a Mohs specialist in Los Gatos that someone recommended, Dr. Morganroth. Ask him what he recommends to deal with the depressed area. 2) Make an appointment in early November to see Dr. Moy, the specialist in L.A. that lots of people on this site have recommended. I will be in L.A. to visit family at that time. After the 2 appointments, I will have some decisions to make. More laser? Don't think so. Dermabrasion? Doubt it. Plastic surgery to revise the scar and recontour my nose? Yikes. Maybe. I'll post again.
Hard to believe it's been almost 5 months since my last post. I decided to cancel my summer appointment with Dr. Morganroth and patiently wait to see Dr. Moy in Los Angeles in November, just a couple of weeks ago. That would give the FX laser treatment a full 6 months to do its thing. I made the appointment with Dr. Moy way in advance and scheduled my flight home from LA late in the day to allow plenty of time. Then a couple of weeks before the appointment Dr. Moy's office called to say he had to cancel all appointments that day because he was going to a conference. Bummer! What do I do now? After feeling bad for a while I decided to make a new appointment with Dr. Morganroth. Maybe it was for the best since his office is less than an hour from my home, instead of 400 miles away (Dr. Moy).
In the 6 months since my FX laser treatment I had started to feel a little better about my scar, most of the time. I looked pretty good in my mirrors at home, probably because there are no overhead lights near the mirrors. Maybe a little bit of collagen did grow like Dr. D said it might. Every once in a while, though, I would see myself in a mirror with a harsh overhead light and get upset again. The mirrors in the dressing rooms at Nordstrom are the worst. Although I was feeling better, I wasn't ready to accept the depression on the front of my nose. Still very self-conscious.
On November 12, 8 days ago, I saw Dr. Morganroth. After what I had read about him online, I expected someone brilliant but arrogant, cold and unfriendly. Well, he is arrogant, but we hit it off right away. I appreciated the thoughtfulness he was clearly applying to my problem. I had prepared a history for him that included the recommendations of various doctors: my regular dermatologist, who suggested subcision; the Mohs doctor (Dr. D) who offered to do whatever I wanted for no extra charge, including more FX laser, dermabrasion, or filler; and the plastic surgeon who felt that no cosmetic procedure would suffiently address the problem. Her solution was scar revision combined with shaving down the cartilage above the depression to create a new smooth contour for my nose. Like the plastic surgeon, Dr. Morganroth remarked that the spot on my nose was a very difficult spot to correct. He said he was trying to understand what happened in the Mohs surgery that would leave this kind of depression on the front of my nose.
While being careful to say that no malpractice was involved, Dr. Morganroth did say disparaging things about any doctor whose Mohs training is from the Mohs Society -- "a weekend course" and not the Mohs college, a year-long fellowship program. He said the two other dermatologists in Santa Cruz who perform Mohs surgery (also trained by the Mohs Society) sometimes refer difficult cases to him. Dr. D has never referred a case to him. The best person to do Mohs surgery on a spot like mine would be a "fellowship trained dermatologist who does lots of reconstruction."
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Dr. Morganroth seemed perplexed as to why cartilage on my nose had been removed, but said he couldn't really comment on it without seeing the surgery in progress or a detailed report. In any case, what I think he said was that, if he were performing a Mohs surgery that removed cartilage, he would have replaced it right then and there with cartilage from my ear. So I guess I walked around with a disfigured nose for a year for nothing!
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Dr. M said that Dr. D's "free" followup offers of FX laser or dermabrasion would not solve the problem. Apparently, the FX laser treatment I had in May was a waste of time. He was impressed that my regular dermatologist knew about subcision and thought it was a good suggestion, but he said it would not be sufficient to correct my problem. It would not "lay down enough scaffolding."
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Dr. M had disparaging things to say about plastic surgeons in general. He thinks a good dermatologist can generally get better results than a plastic surgeon. He talked about plastic surgeons he knows who send their family members to him. Dr. M likes to brag, but it didn't really bother me. He said unless I want a rhinoplasty, I shouldn't follow the plastic surgeon's advice.
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At first, Dr. M suggested a "cartilage graft," like what he would have done at the time of the Mohs surgery. Cartilage would be removed from my ear. A new slit would be made on my nose (later he said under my nose, to avoid a new scar) and the ear cartilage would be inserted. The advantages of this procedure are: 1) it would be permanent and 2) it would replace cartilage with cartilage. It would be billed at about $4000.
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After he thought some more, Dr. M said the magic words: "If you were my wife…" He suggested trying filler first. That would give me an immediate improvement, and I would have time to think about whether or not I wanted to go through with the cartilage graft. At first he suggested Restylane. My regular dermatologist said Restylane might show through as blue on my nose. Dr. M didn't think so. But then he changed his mind again. He offered to do Radiesse, which is white and lasts longer, 9 months to a year or more. Radiesse costs more, but he offered to do it for the same price as Restylane: $585. This is not covered by insurance.
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It was tough to make a decision. Everything Dr. M said made perfect sense to me. If I ever have something like this again, I will go to him. I will tell my regular dermatologist to refer her Mohs patients to him. I will send my friends to him. I may even switch to him as my regular dermatologist. Should I have Dr. M inject the Radiesse right now? Should I go back to Dr. D and have him inject Radiesse for no charge? I wasn't feeling very positive about Dr. D by this time. I decided to pay the $585 and have Dr. M do the Radiesse. I hope I didn't get ripped off.
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My nose was numbed with a cream for about 15 minutes. Then Dr. M gave me somewhere between 5 and 10 injections of Radiesse. It hurt! Kind of like multiple bee stings on my nose. But I didn't really care about that. My nose turned red with bloody needle spots on it. It was hard to tell whether it was looking as good as possible or not. Dr. M let me stay in the room while he treated another patient. He came back, I pointed to a spot that still looked depressed, he saw it, and he injected more Radiesse. I think he expected me to be more happy. This year has been so difficult, and I'm so analytical, I did feel cautiously optimistic, but I needed more time. He told me I could come back to his Los Gatos office (only 30 minutes from my house) on Monday for no extra charge if I still had questions.
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After 5 days there was just one little red needle mark that hadn't gone away yet. Definitely, my nose looked better. In the mirror at the gym, with flourescent lights overhead, where I used to see an obvious pit on my nose, now I saw almost nothing. There is still a very slight depressed spot, but it is difficult to see. Hurray! I'm not totally over the moon because my nose does seem different. Not only did the surgery leave the depressed area, but it also seemed to puff out the area around the depression a bit -- like an upholstery button in a cushion. Now the filler filled in to the puffed-out countour. The tip of my nose looks a little bulbous. As I told a friend, I don't remember what my old nose looked like anymore. Also, the scar is still visible (I don't really mind this) and the area looks white-ish and shiny. Scars are always shiny, so that's that. I know part of the white-ish color is from the scar. Maybe some is from the Radiesse. All in all, it's a big improvement. As Dr. M said when I was less enthusiastic than he expected, "It's 90% better. You're looking for 99%." Maybe it's 85% and I'm looking for 95%. I just want the best result possible.
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I may take Dr. M up on his offer to drop in this coming Monday, at the 10-day point. If not, I will simply see how the Radiesse holds up. What will it look like as it breaks down? I will still consider the cartilage graft, although at the end of my 2 hours in Dr. M's office he said the Radiesse might have been the best choice of all. Maybe I'll just get re-injected once a year, or every 9 months. Then I'll have to consider whether or not to ask Dr. D to do the Radiesse injections for free.
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I haven't entirely ruled out the plastic surgery option, despite Dr. M's low regard for plastic surgeons. When I see him next, I will insist that he recommend a plastic surgeon who specializes in noses. After I see the new plastic surgeon, I will decide whether to 1) get another Radiesse injection, 2) get a cartilage graft, or 3) get plastic surgery as per the plastic surgeon's (or the new doc's) recommendation. And maybe Dr. M will have some new idea by then. He got several new ideas right while I was in his office.
Here's a footnote. Yesterday I was in Macy's where, like Nordstrom, the cruelest overhead flourescents exist. (This is really too bad, since looking ugly does not make one want to purchase clothing.) In one mirror I passed, my nose looked pretty good. In another one, it looked pretty bad. Darn! Has the Radiesse already started to break down? Did it "settle" after the injection? At some point I will have to resign myself to having a flawed nose. I'm not there yet. Maybe the goal should be to get the best solution by the 2-year mark: September 30, 2011.
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Can you tell me where I can purchase a flesh-colored bandage to cover the L-shaped incision on my upper nose? I'll be going back to work as a receptionist and don't want to use the boxed band-aids that are clear and have a "look at me"! white patch of gauze in the middle. After biopsy, the doctor put a lovely oval bandage on that small spot and it was hardly visible to others. Again, where can I find one to cover a
one-1/2 inch incision? Minneapolis area.
You might have to get the bandages you are looking for from your doctor, or from a medical supply company. The scar dressing that my doctor gave me after surgery was so excellent, but they cannot be purchased in pharmacies.
Mine were made by Novagel, and I googled the brand name & found many websites who sell bandages and dressings that are so much better than drugstore versions. Ask your doctor's receptionist if she can put together a little bag of bandages for you. If not, try googling companies that sell "Novagel," and you might also be able to find what you want. (The Novagel silicone dressing is blue, so you definitely don't want it for work ! But the same company sells clear silicone dressings (this is for after you have healed, to minimize the scar. They are absolutely AMAZING and really WORK.)
Hope this helps!
Blessings to You!
J.W.
Five months since my Mohs surgery! It can be an emotional road to travel -- I had never before realized how our faces are so linked to our emotions, until I experienced facial surgery. I have felt so vulnerable and so afraid, trying to discern if I made the right choice in my surgeon.
I verified the qualifications of my Mohs surgeon by going directly to the American Society for Mohs Surgery, and it really put me at ease to find his information there.
It is so stressful, trying to find a brilliant surgeon you can trust. My primary dermatologist made me promise I would only have my BCC removed by a Mohs surgeon, and by no other surgical method. She was emphatic & even made me spell "Mohs" back to her to reinforce her seriousness.
As it turned out, another dermatologist's office offerred to do another type of surgery for a lesser price. I remembered my promise to my 1st doctor, to only do Mohs, and I'm glad that I did. I found an excellent surgeon, who presented payment options, since I don't have insurance.
***Please be certain your surgeon is a member of the American Society for Mohs surgery. It is SO IMPORTANT to do.
To verify or find a certified Mohs surgeon, visit the ASMS link:
If you are looking for a surgeon, just type in your city/zip & state.
If you want to verify a surgeon you already know, type in his/her name, city & state.
I hope this helps someone! Just know that you are beautiful and whole... the most important thing is removing all the cancer cells, and by the literature I've read, Mohs has the highest success rate for getting the cancer and leaving as much healthy tissue as possible.
Oh-- and sometimes your Mohs surgeon will want you to go to a plastic surgeon for the post-operative repair. This is normal, and probably wise. Here again, make sure your plastic/cosmetic surgeon is certified/licensed. Don't let them touch you without verifying they are officially licensed as a plastic surgeon. I cannot stress how important that is, because their are surgeons who will offer to do cosmetic or plastic surgery without having the proper license. Just check them out online or ask for official verification at their office.
You are worth it!
I pray that anyone reading will feel a big hug coming their way!
Blessings to You!
J.W.
Thanks for your posts, Julia. I too spent much time on this site and got a lot of comfort reading other people's posts. I agree that this has been a surprisingly difficult and emotional experience. Only a couple of us are posting in late 09. You are 5 months out, I am 3 months out. You can read my posts near the end of the page. Feel free to write me any time. I live in Santa Cruz, CA.
Hi Gemma!
I don't see a profile for you...so would it be possible for you to contact me through the site email? Go to my profile here and send me a message and we can continue!
Looking forward to hearing from you.
I had Mohs surgery in Aug 2009, and I keep going back and forth between gratitude that the cancer is gone & that I'm healthy... to crying and feeling so upset with what happened to my face when the repair was done. I had a BCC on my left cheek below the eye but near the nose. I trusted my surgeon, and I remember the pulling and stretching of my skin when he closed my wound with a skin flap. I now have a rough, red scar that goes from my eye to the bottom of my nose, about 2 inches long. The skin was pulled and stretched down from between my eyes (above the nose), so my left eye is now webbed. The skin was pulled over from my far cheek bone, and then stretched down also. So the skin that used to be on the side of my face is now on the front. Everything on the left side is shifted over. The rounded apple of my cheek is now gone, and the fat is beginning to settle unaturally there from being stretched over. But the worst, and the part that I have the hardest time with is that the left side of my nose was pulled down a bit, and pushed over (I know this sounds crazy), and the left side of my upper lip went away (pushed or pulled down). Everything has improved dramatically from the very beginning (both my eyes swelled shut after the surgery, and I had much swelling). I know I should be thankful, I feel so guilty about this. But I want my previous face back. I wish I had a skin graft, then all I would have would be a scar, but my features would be the same. I don't know what to do. I sometimes think that eventually I will be able to go to a cosmetic surgeon and have my repair "repaired", maybe some injectables to bring back the left side of my lip (but my doctor did not seem to like that idea)... I just don't know what to do. My doctor said at our last appointment (about 2 weeks ago) that it would take a year for my face to return to normal, that smiling would bring back my upper lip. I have been doing facial exercises but I don't see a lasting change from them, and they make my skin wrinkle in other places. Oh! I am so angry! I am single, so you can imagine my fears with this. Everything on my face has been changed, moved, shifted. Why? I don't understand. Tonight is a bad night for me, I guess. I have become an expert on minimizing scars through cosmetics, facial exercises, silicone scar therapy, etc. I don't think there's anything I haven't learned about those subjects. But there is nothing that puts my facial features back in place, straightens my nose back, gives me a smile that isn't crooked. Again, I know I should just be thankful. Also the left side of my face still feels strange, heavy & numb. Has anyone had a repair that changed your face like this, and then after time, saw your facial features return to their proportions? People who see my face when I am wearing cosmetics say the surgery looks good, but I know what my skin used to look like. It was so nice, now I don't know what to do, and this stretching and falling scares me.
Hi Julia! My name is Laurene..I found this site yesterday (January 7, 2010.) and I had a comment about "my" surgery. I signed with the initials L.P. . I KNOW where you're at. I think we are pretty much in the same place. I had Moh's surgery on Dec 1st. and re-constructive (I prefer to call it "DE"oconstructive) surgery on December 2nd. My cancer was a basil cell with squamous features..what-ever that means. It was above and "into" the upper part of my upper lip on the left side of my face. It just skimmed my lip..did not go over the entire lip. The Moh's surgeon cut a nickel size hole. She had to cut twice to get all the cancer. It looked kind of nasty when she was finished but knowing I was going to have RE (?) constructive surgery the next day calmed my fears. The Moh's surgeon showed me pictures of the re-construction she did. They were VERY impressive but I "thought" I would have to drive back to Roanoke the next day and the thought of driving there (about 80+ miles) was one of the factors why I chose to go to a hospital closer to where I lived..AND I knowing the re-construction wouldn't be done under anesthesia was another factor. I thought it would be painful cuting more flesh out (so I wouldn't have a puckering effect) and then sewing it back together with only Lidocaine would be extremely uncomfortable and painful. So I went with a plastic surgeon the following day. IT WAS A BIG MISTAKE I WOULD "NOT" DO AGAIN!! Besides the whole experience..I was scheduled for surgery at 3PM and they took me into surgery at 7PM that night (NO emergency surgeries were being done..don't know WHY it took 4 hours of waiting!!) I had a couple of BAD reactions to the anesthesia. The anesthesia wore off "as soon" as I got in our vehicle to drive home. The pain was out of this world!! I was able to remove the bandage the following day. BOTH lips were swollen although the plastic surgeon just cut into my top lip. He cut an area "around" the hole that the Moh's surgeon cut. It was a cut that was shaped like this>> (). It was a MUCH LARGER area. He said he had to make it that way so I wouldn't get a puckering effect. When he sewed me back together he apparently pulled/stretched the skin from the right side of the hole he made over to the left side of the hole and sewed me back together. My sepum (the recessed area under the middle of your nose down to the top of your lip) is now askew. It goes towards the left side of my face. I have an area of my top lip that is missing in the corner of my mouth. My top lip is now on the left side of my face! (I resemble a camel chewing it's cud.) I had about 11 stitches on the outside of my face from my nose down over the top of my lip and two stitches on the inside of my lip. (He had to cut into my lip both on the front of it and on the back side of it in my mouth.) After over a month my scar is still tender and sore. It is red but not a bright red. The scar is raised and it is hard. It goes beyond the incision on either side. It looks similar to a "gummy worm". (Those gummy candies that kids eat.) I have a hard lump "IN" my lip the size of a BB. The left side of my lip is higher than the right side.."THAT" is similar to Elvis Presley's sneer although it looked a LOT better on him. The area at the top of the scar near my nose has a puffed up circular area about the size of a pencil eraser. I am not sure if if I have a "keloid" or a "hypertrophic" scar or if this is normal. What-ever it is I am embarrassed and I feel VERY self-concious!! I am thankful the cancer was removed although "I was told" it "could" grow back and there is more of a chance getting basil cell again since I had it once already. How-ever I am glad this experience is over for now. "If" I do get another basil cell I will definately "NOT" have re-constructive surgery by a re-constructive surgeon in a hospital. I will have my Moh's surgeon do it in her office with Lidocaine. With my mouth all askew like this I "know" what you are going through and I sympathsize with you. I would like to give you a hug but since I can't I will send one with this comment. I would like to know how you are doing since you wrote your comment. ps; I hope we both "straighten out" over time.
Hi Julia! This is Laurene again. I noticed after sending you a "comment" that I wrote "sepum" I ment to type "SEPTUM". 
I wish we lived near each other. I think it would help us if we could talk together "in person" about our similar problem. This depresses me also..
My heart goes out to you Julia. Have you looked into a cancer support group? If my car was not broke down I think it would behoove "me" to find one. I'm stuck at home during the week. On weekends I go grocery shopping. The people I have talked with really don't "know" what is going on inside of me. I know there are people that are worse off than I...but having a lop-sided mouth and a puffed up scar "does" get to me. I "try" not to think about it..but it is THERE and that is all "I" can see. I "feel" you have a good heart and people can look past what is on the outside not noticing what "you" notice. We should "both" smile with our crooked smiles and be happy that we "can" smile.
Hi,
You and I sound like we had exactly the same surgery and same results. Mine is also on my left side. It is still lumpy and my left side of my lip is higher and thicker. To correct that for now, my plastic surgeon injected Juvederm on the right side. It helped a little to even my lip sides up but it is far from the way it used to look and my smile is still crooked. The scar is still lumpy down into my lip. My surgery was almost 8 weeks ago. I am now using Neocutis on the scar and my ps said that he can do dermabrasion in 2 more months. I am really not happy with how the whole thing looks and know that it will never be the same. Of course, it all still feels very funny and my left side of my lip is very red. So I know how you feel.
I had the smallest little spot on my right cheek,just near the nasolabial fold.. so teeny.Long story short,1 1/2 years later, it began to bleed and not heal and a hole was forming.. like a deep poc mark. While getting a consult to see about getting it filled it with Juvederm or some other filler,they said "You should get that biopsied"which I did a week later. Thank Goodness!! iT was A BASAL CELL CARCINOMA..and infiltrating... went to Dr. Moy in Beverly Hills...everyone in this town recommends him . He had to go preety deep;went back 3x that day to get it all.I was scared to death.. I am a working actress... .. he closed the very deep hole with stitched from my nose to my upper lip.Tiny bit of swelling.. and the stitches will dissolve.In 6 weeks he will do laser therapy to get rid of the scar... Right now I am just relieved to have the cancer OUT of my face... I'll deal with the scar later.....Will keep you all posted... I will be checking any spot I have from now on immediately!!!! These things can grow so fast!!!!!!
hi, i could have written 2 post's on here are exactly like mine. i too had a very tiny spot on the side of my nose for 1 and half years. my md never said a word even though i saw him 2 or 3 times a year for over 20 years with my children, not related to my basal. since noone ever said a word including my doctor i let it go for a year and half. then one day i called and said i wanted to have a spot checked out in my face. she had to use the magnifying glass to see it and said it was nothing to worry about but if i insist she can have me see a derm and the soonest i could get in was in 5 months. well i almost canceld since again everyone thought it was nothing serious and it didn't look at all like any of the photos on the internet. i'm glad i didn't cancel because i almost fell of the chair when the derm came in and saw the spot she said it looks like a basal with sqamous features. i had no idea what she was talking about and all i can remember is saying, please, get it out. well the biopsy came back as a basosqamous which is a aggressive basal that is infiltrating it means it could metastasize in rare cases. she had to cut deep to get it all. i'm not to happy either with the re-constructive plastic surgery because i have several bumps on the inside of my nostrile and the skin flab they put over is still raised,looks like a worm crawling up my nose. i was reasured it didn't metastasize but how is it confirmed, i mean by what evidence do doctors go by it hasn't spread?
I'm also relieved to have the basal out of my face but can't help thinking this aggressive basal, infiltrative, morpheatype, could have spread since it was finger deep. anyone else with this fear or i am over reacting? i just want to be on top of things since some of these things metastasize. i just greatful i had a good derm who recognized this type of pattern. in all of my reasearch i have been doing i came accross several cases where patients are being told it's a basal but the pattern can only be recognized with the biopsy. it makes me wonder if i would have treated that basal by myself it could have ended fatal. i was told no it's slow growing and not fatal but doing research its just the opposite. anyone with similar fears? i would like to find someone for e-mail correspondence who is experiencing similar thoughts and worries.
Hi Carly... well I am relieved and Dr, Moy said untreated it could have grown very fast and indeed, have been a deeper hole. The Moh's surgery is supposed to get all the margins and make sure the whole cancer cell is gone.I will go to him 2x a year to be checked thoroughly.However, I had a situation where the redness was so bad after the steri strips were remove that I called Dr. Moy's nurse several times. I was told to put polysporin on which only made the redness worse. I went in to the office .. I had an allergic reaction to the absorbable sutures!!! They gave me a acortisone cream.. and it seems to have calmed it down and is healing nicely now. Still may have laser ro treat the scar.I can understand your concern,but regular visits to the dermatologist is very important.
oh.. just to add.... bcc's are apparently NOT FATAL. but left untreated can grown deeper and deeper making a very large area to treat.My teeny tiny bcc after Moh's surgery was the size of a nickel and 3 layers deep.At least now I know what to look for and will definitely not wait to see the Dermatologist.
hi Barbara, thanks for your reply. my biopsy came back half basal and half sqamous. mine is called basosqamous, it is a subtype of a basal cell carcinoma i've read, they grow fast and deep and can metastasize in rare cases this frightens me. mine has grown into the deep layer of the skin where all the large bloodvessels and lymphnodes are. i have done alot of research online and some of it was very frightend. i called the office alot and was told not to worry they grow slow!? should i remind them i had not a solid basal but one with an aggressive pattern, did they forget? after doing more reasearch about these type of basals i've read they grow fast and deep and mine also was the size of a nickel and very deep. i should believe my mohs doctor and not worry but i want to be on top of things and study as much as possible. i used to go to med. school myself. most don't know there are different types of basal. i'm not worried about the basal i'm worried about the sqamous pattern, they are infiltrating and they grow deep and can metastasize. a basal with a sqamous pattern is a very aggressive basal. my skin graft was 2x2inches so it must have been big. the margins were clear and free of tumor. they can't do the skingraft otherwise but they only took 1-2mm margins and should have taken more. after my surgery i never put anything on exept vaseline so was i told so i never had any problems with redness. the scar has healed nicely and is in line with my laughlines but the skinflab they put over made it kind of fat looking, they moved the skin from my cheeck to cover the area. i first thought it was only swelling but it's there to stay and i want it gone so it doesn't look like there is a squashy worm crawling up my nose. i also have several med. size bumps inside my nostrile from the stiches. since the flab is sort of thick and sticks out i worry if the tumor should return it can't get through because of the fat tissue that's over. it could be burried under all the tissue and it may grow to the inside because it may take years for it to get through, for the eye to be seen. i should have them remove the fat tissue or make it thinner so i can see if something is growing below. I'm not familiar with laser treatment but i'm hoping they can make it thinner so the fat area is gone. me too, at first i was so happy the cancer was out of my face but after studiying the type of basal i had, i'm concerned. i know you said you had an infiltrating basal but did they specify the pattern? during my research i came across http:// healthboards.com
i read about someone with username: motherchuck who's biopsy showed a Basal Cell Infiltrative Morpheaform. the discussing board was already clossed, so i only could read it, but i too have a basal cell infiltrative morpheaform, it's written in my pathology report. i had them make me a copy and even though they say it's slow growing and not fatal but when i read under this type of basal it says the opposite. i want to find peace of mind and i might need to go back to my doctor and ask more questions because it leaves me with ALOT of anxieties. it does feel good to hear it is not fatal or it shouldn't be fatal. thanks for reading. any coments or feedback is greatly appreciated. Barbara please keep in touch and keep me updated and yes we must go for reg. skin checks, very important. keep in touch.
Carly
Hi Carly.... I can understand your concern.. but if the Moh' surgery got it all you should be fine. Ypu could alwyas e-mail this sight with photos to see what Docs say. I e-mailed mine to Dr. Moy and he got back to me on 3 days.I would definitely look into laser for redness, or dermabrasion for bumpy. that's what I will do.He told me to wait 6 weeks.Squamous as I understand it,CAN be more threatening than BCC's.But if you had both,I am not suare what that means.Just regular check ups to make sure it does not reappear.
Keep me posted ..Barbara
Hi Everyone, I am a mess. I have been riding the medical world rollercoaster for the last 6 weeks or so. I have a BCC on the end of my nose. The Mohs surgeon said he could remove it but told me I would end up with a pointy nose or a lopsided nose if he did the reconstruction - I asked him if he would support me in going to see a plastic surgeon (so he could do a second surgery and reconstruct the area) and he gave me referral to someone he apparently new. I waited two weeks to see the plastic surgeon and once there was told he had never met the Mohs surgeon who referred me and that he doenst do reconstructions following Mohs surgery anymore. This plastic surgeon felt very sorry for me and gave me the names of 3 other plastic surgeons who he thought were very good to see.
I have since been to see another plastic surgeon who confidently said he could use freeze surgery to removed the cancer in much the same way as a Mohs surgeon and while I am still completely out to it he would also do a nose flap reconstruction. This reconstruction is going to leave a scar running from between my eyes all the way down my nose then circuling under my nose. The other option was to do a graft but the surgeon thought that it would look like patchwork on me and talked me out of it.
I'm so confused and feel sick in the stomach. I have a Mohs surgeon (who I dont trust) waiting to hear if I am going ahead with Mohs surgery and a PLastic surgeon who is telling me I wil have a massive scar. I cant bear the thought of having a scar tht big down my face. Is this my only option though? Has anyone else had a BCC removed from their nose and is happy with a skin graft? Or a nose flap for that matter - if you have had a nose flap what was your scarring like? I am a 31 year old Australian girl from Sydney.
Really need some advice.
Hi Kim..so sorry you are going through this.. YES!! It is very scary dealing with face scars. Mine is healing slowly, but really well... BUT it is in the nasolabial fold.. I was told to wait 6 weeks after the Moh's surgery to see if I will have laser or dermabrasion to fix the scar. The former is if the scar is still red, the later if the scar is bumby. I may not need either one. I was told to use Aquaphor... but Palmer's Coconut cream is good for scars, as is Mederma.
I would say to do the Moh's surgery to make SURE they get it all.. why be left with doubts that there are still margins?.. and it could grow so much deeper...It's your FACE..I have seen noses heal really well with Moh's and a great plastic suargeon. In Los Angeles Dr. Ron Moy is supposed to be the best at both. He is president elect of the American Academy of Dermatologists. Let me know if you want his direct -mail to see if he can recommend a Moh's surgeon in Australia. I am sure he knows all the best Docs.
Thanks for your message. I checked out Dr Menicks website and he does some fantastic work. He also does things a little different to other plastic surgeon who I have spoken to. I really want his opinion now but Arizona is a long way and I need the surgery sooner rather than later. I'm hoping I can get everything done here in Sydney this month and then travel to Arizona (down the track) for him to do an additional repair if need be. I wish I lived in America!!!!! Its hard to know that there is someone out there who can do a great job but I just cant see him for many reasons. I appreciate you sending me your message though. I now know of another option if things turn out bad.
I have been diagnosed with Squamous Cell Carcinoma on my left cheek. My dermatologist wants me to do Aldara as a treament plan as opposed to Mohs surgery because of the potential scarring on my face. I am very leary of any Chemo treatment, but also am concerned about a large scar on my face. I am 47 yrs old, but have very good skin with no real wrinkles yet. Any adivce?
While I cannot comment on Aldara, I can give you some insight to my Mohs surgery. Here's the story. About a year ago, I noticed what appeared to be a "pimple" above my right eyebrow. I figured it was from eyebrow waxing. Well, it didn't go away. My sister is a nurse and she said not to worry. However, I started to become concerned when this "pimple" started looking like a cross between a moon crater and a chicken pox mark. I went to the dermatoligist. He did a biopsy. It came back as a squamous cell carcinoma. I was scared s*itless due to the fact I had let this "thing" sit for quite sometime. Anyway, my dermatologist referred me to a specialist in Mohs surgery. I had my Mohs last week. One layer and I was done. The hole is stitched and I won't need, nor would I even consider plastic surgery over any visible scar. Why? Because I NEED a REMINDER of how STUPID I WAS TO GO OUT IN THE SUN FOR YEARS WITHOUT SUNSCREEN That said. I'm sure I'll be back at some point for more because I've now become so obsessive over my skin as I am about getting a pap, mammogram and colon testing. I've been back to the derm. twice so far to "check" my face and am going again next week. Can anyone out there validate my need to keep pestering my dermatologist?
That said, the Mohs surgery was fine--it isn't pain-free and it is somewhat annoying, but the price of getting rid of that "thing" is well-worth it.
About 7 months ago I noticed a small growth the size of a pencil eraser on my thigh. I went to a dermatologist at a major hospital and I was referred to another dermatologist at another major hospital who, as it turned out, specializes in Mohs surgery. The small growth was removed and the skin healed within one week. Two weeks after the removal, I received a phone call from the surgeon's office that a biopsy was performed and that I had a NON-malignant skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma and that more surgery was required. I hesitated but finally agreed to the surgery. After Mohs surgery, the size of a quarter and 1/8 of an inch deep was created. I was told that it would take 6 weeks to heal. After 8 weeks I saw the surgeon again and he was satisfied that the surgery was successful. Now, 7 months later there is a purplish scar and a little lump the size of a nickel. Since it is on my thigh I am not concerned at the appearance. However, it I ever had a similar growth on my face I would not allow Mohs surgery to be done again.
I wanted to find out if anyone has had surgery on the back. It has been over 1.5 months now that it was completed however Im still having some pain and feels like the internal stiches are still poking me from the inside. Not to mention my back is very sore. Any idea how long this takes to heal? Or should I go see the dr.?
Thanks.
hello, i'm jon, a 35 yr old male. i was recently diagnosed with basil cell carcinoma on my arm. ive had it for about 20yrs and its about the 2inches wide and long. im going to have mohs surgery in 4 days and im very nervous, does anyone know how long its gonna take to heal? i have 2 young girls who i alone take care of and one of them being a 5yr old autistic child. i dont know if im going to be able to pick her up, can anyone give me any advice??
I'm a 65 year old woman who lived "in the sun" growing up. I've had multiple basal cell carcinomas, treated with Mohs, Aldara, freezing, etc. While Mohs removes the BCC, it also leaves a scar - I've had two at my lipline, one with a skin graft. Both left scars. None of the Aldara treatments left scarring. You need to consider how susceptible you are to scarring, how you feel about longer term treatments (Aldara runs about 6 weeks). I prefer the longer treatment which has been successful removal of the BCC without scarring, even though it looks like ##$@ during the process. It works and leaves no scars. If you are not susceptible to scars, you might prefer a surgical method. I'm going with Aldara when I can.
I'm a 65 year old woman who lived "in the sun" growing up. I've had multiple basal cell carcinomas, treated with Mohs, Aldara, freezing, etc. While Mohs removes the BCC, it also leaves a scar - I've had two at my lipline, one with a skin graft. Both left scars. None of the Aldara treatments left scarring. You need to consider how susceptible you are to scarring, how you feel about longer term treatments (Aldara runs about 6 weeks). I prefer the longer treatment which has been successful removal of the BCC without scarring, even though it looks like ##$@ during the process. It works and leaves no scars. If you are not susceptible to scars, you might prefer a surgical method. I'm going with Aldara when I can.
I just had Moh Surgery between my eyes. Two layers were taken and it was closed by a plastic surgeon. The stitches were removed and I was told to continue to cover the wound with a steri strip. My questionis this: What works best to promote proper healing and less scarring? I am not sure what ot use.
I had the same thing (between my eyes at the bridge of my nose) 3 1/2 weeks ago today. I also trusted the opinion of my dermatologist but am not having second thoughts after the gruesome scar/rddness that goes from eye to eye at the top of my nose. He said it would heal and it is starting to (or has mostly) but that scar/groove isnt going away anytime soon I can tell you that much.
This is the area where everyone looks at first you when they speak to you. Just my bad luck it was right between my eyes for crying out loud! Could have been anywhere else but NO! It had to be right in the middle of my damn face.
I can tell now that without more surgery, lazer or whatever, it wont be getting much better anytime soon. it may get better over time but I have my doubts. Yes I know, its only been 3+ weeks but i have cut myself many many times all over my body and never seen anything like this. Im very self conscience about it and have to wear my glasses everywhere I go. In the past, I used to only wear them for driving but now, everywhere and with everyone I speak to.
I too would have tried everything but Mohs but whats done is done. I can only hope for improvement in the next few months but it will NEVER be the same as before. Not sure I can blame the doctor for that. I also have "good mirror" & "bad mirrors" in my life. Some it doesnt look so bad, others I look like a monster.
In any case, most of the store bought creams for scaring are worthless from what I can tell so dont waste your money. If this happens to me again, I will certainly entertain ALL other options "if" available. I have/had an old saying that I apparently forgot that goes "dont let them (doctors) cut on you unless you are dying" but its been 20+ year since a doctor cut a chuck off my lip for biopsy. It was nothing but it didnt heal or start looking better for 10+ years.
Im not willing to wait so long this time round. Bummer all around. Good luck to you on yours. Next time I post I hope to have a better more positive posting. Only time will tell.
I totally understand. I finally took the steri strip off and tomorrow I will have to face the world with the scar. It is nasty looking and red, but has improved since the surgery. I haven't used anything on it yet. I don't think it is ready. I will take any suggestions that anyone has as to scar improving creams. Good Luck!
Hi Stenton and Michelle,
I have left several postings upthread about my experience with the surgery and scarring. I have not really used a cream on my scar because it is sooo close to my eye (on my eyelash follicles) so every cream burns and irritates my eye that I have tried. I have heard good things about Mederma though and think it would be worth a try for you. Because I can't use a cream I just make sure to massage the area as much as possible and take supplements especially vitamin E. You can also apply vitamin E topically for a more natural solution. I had a skin graft so I have scarring all the way around the edges of the skin graft and also inside the margins where there were sutures to secure it to my tissue. So needless to say there is substantial scarring, but somewhere over the past couple of months I sort of got used to it. I know this is not the answer anyone wants to hear, but the fact is that we all were diagnosed with skin cancer and these are our battle wounds. Yes, I wish so badly that I could erase all the lines and scarring around my one eye because pre-surgery I loved my eyes and they are, of course, the first things most people see. But, I can't. So instead I've had to embrace my scars and move forward treating my body as kindly as possible so that it will be kind in return. You best bet for a quick recovery is your own body anyway so use it to your benefit through diet and a healthy lifestyle.
But, most of all, I want to encourage you ladies to really focus on things about yourself (or your appearance) that you love. You can't change what is already done so focus on what you consider your more positive attributes. And I promise that not one person sees what you see. I also was attached to my sunglasses (thank goodness it was summer!) for the first few months, but I promise it was not as scary as I thought it would be once I took them off. We are our own worst critics so for a change let's be our biggest supporters and embrace all of our wonderful qualities!! Yes, there are medical issues and concerns that we should not ignore, but when it comes to the appearance....don't worry yourself so much!
Best of luck to you both, please keep us updated on your progress!
Tara
I had Mohs surgery on my nose about 10 days ago, and the procedure required a skin graft from behind the ear. After 10 days, the wound looks very bad, very dark dark purple and crusty around the edge of the wound where the stiches are located. (Sorry if I'm too graphic here).
Is this normal or should I be concerned that that the graft did not take? There is also a bit of a foul order from the wound as well.
The wound is about the size of nickel, and I don't see the doctor until next week.
What should the wound look like at this point, 10 days since the surgery?
Thanks
John
Hi John, I also had a skin graft under my eye that was taken from behind my ear. I had significant bruising in the area, blue, purple, and yellow, possibly more because of the location. The edge was also crusty but more like dark blood than anything else. My eye was closed due to sutures and bandages and just looked like one big mess.
It does sound like our wounds looked a little different a week out of surgery but I am sure that is normal. I can not say, however, if what you are experiencing is normal. If you are really concerned see if you can get into your doctor sooner or at least call and talk to him or a nurse. I am assuming that 10 days out you have already seen the surgeon at least once and I am sure he would have indicated if anything was abnormal or if the graft was not taking well.
If you feel something is not right though then please call your doctor. Other than that, it is still really soon after surgery and the appearance will improve! Best of Luck to you. Please update about what happens.
I had Mohs surgery on my nose about 10 days ago, and the procedure required a skin graft from behind the ear. After 10 days, the wound looks very bad, very dark dark purple and crusty around the edge of the wound where the stiches are located. (Sorry if I'm too graphic here).
Is this normal or should I be concerned that that the graft did not take? There is also a bit of a foul order from the wound as well.
The wound is about the size of nickel, and I don't see the doctor until next week.
What should the wound look like at this point, 10 days since the surgery?
Thanks
John
I have Moh's schedule for November 30th. Was diagnosed in September, but nurse at doctor's office told me it was nothing and not to worry - just come back in 30 days for a check-up on the biopsy. Got in to see Dr a month later - He says "You have not had the surgery yet"!! I say, no your nurse said I didn't need it. Well, heads rolled in his office and everyone scurried to call my insurance and the surgeon who performs the Mohs to get me in. Okay, now - my BCC is on my upper eyelid. I think it is fairly deep as I have had it a while. Your eyelid is not that thick so how deep can it actually be? If they pull up the eyelid to stich it closed - won't my other eyelid look odd if it also is not pulled up. Does anyone know if insurance (Group Health) would cover fixing the other eye to look like the BCC eye?
just got the biopsy report that I have a basel cell over my lip. It is pretty scary because I've had it for years, maybe over 5 and just thought it was an "old lady" thing happening.
I am 54 and figured through the years that this is what happens. Strange bumps and weird skin things. Never thought it would be this.
It is pretty big and the doc said I'd have the Mohs surgery.
I'm scared and I don't want to have a big hole under my nose. the growth seems pretty big to me at this point. Any words of encouragement would be great.
My derm told me that the specialist she is recommending is fantastic. But I really am scared.
We all have a right to be scared. But, I have heard that the Moh's surgery has a 99% cure rate and the doctors do everything they can to hide/mask the scar. I know I feel scared about my upcoming surgery. But then I also feel guilty. I know it is my fault from years in the sun or tanning booth. So, how guilty or scared can you tell people you are when you know that you are the one who caused it.
I disagree that you can't feel guilty because "you caused it". You can be as guilty and scared as you are, and can even tell people...I guess you can't moan and groan toooo much in general. But if you feel toooo guilty you might not get it fixed. I am VERY scared, after all, I didn't do this to myself on purpose!
I am most guilty about the fact that it has been there for years and i just thought it was some silly "old lady" bump and part of getting older. That is what bothers me. I cannot believe that. Anyway, I would feel guilty if i didn't take care of it right away now. I don't feel guilty about sitting in the sun. What is done is done.
I enjoyed the feeling of the sun on me, and i was young and never believed this could happen, and when i was very young, no one even knew how bad the sun was and that is when I got the most burns.
again, I don't feel guilty about sitting in the sun. What is done is done.
Just had Mohs last Thursday. I agree, don't beat yourself up. As children (I am 62) it was Coppertone and tanning and lots of outdoor activity- we didn't know. Remember the good times in the sun, and be careful now. Mine is on my forehead, luckily under bangs and seems to be healing nicely. However, I was surprised by the length of the incision vs. the actual size of the lesion, and the amount of after care recovery instructions....which I would say follow whatever your doctor says to the letter. It has been working for me, I avoided swelling and a black eye (which was a possibility with the location).
I am scheduled to have the molh surgery right after Christmas this year. I am going to a plastic surgeon the next day to close the incision. She said that she thinks I should do flap since it is so close to my nose and it will blend it with the line.
She told me that I needed to wait one year to do any kind of laser or other treatments. But I read some earlier comments about a laser called Fraxel which was used if I understand correctly right after the surgery. Can someone give me more information on this. I will call the plastic surgeon tomorrow and see what she says.
I am very thankful that my Insurance will cover this in full. I am very grateful for all of your comments it has eased my fears quite a bit.
Helen
Helen,
I had laser work done on my forehead very soon after Mohs. I believe it was about 6 weeks afterwards. This was 4 years ago, and I had another Mohs done on my nose less than a week ago. I will get my stitches out in 2 days, and will definately have laser ASAP. It helps remove the redness, etc. My Mohs Dermatologist told me I can have laser in 2 months (this is a different Derm. MD than my first one). Go for it! I am a R.N. and have had a lot of laser work done in the past.
Nancy
I had Mohs surgey for squamous cancer on the tip of my nose 2 years ago this week, had skin graft from in front of ear, followed by dermabrasion 9 months after surgery. I still struggle with my appearance when I look in the mirror- did not end up with a smooth surface plus tip is very white and right next to it it darker skintone. I have tried numerous concealors to try to cover and no matter what I do it is still all I see when I look in the mirror. Everyone tells me that they don't even notice it. (Ha) Can't even seem to find a really good sunblock to cover- seems like everytime I go out in the sun the shadowed part just gets darket. What has really helped me through the past 2 years is being able to come to this site and read everyones post's and know that I am not alone with my struggles. Would love to hear if anyone has found a good sunblock, concealer
Hi,
I am a 49 yr. old woman who just had a second Mohs procedure for a BCC on the side of my nose (nostril area). I will get my stitches out in 2 days, but I must say when I removed my bandage for the first time, it was shocking. I have quite a number of stitches because the plastic surgeon did a skin flap. I do feel my Mohs Dermatologist and Plastic Surgeon did their best, and are VERY qualified. I am an R.N. and my husband is a Radiologist, so I did my "homework". That said, my Plastic Surgeon did make me look at my "hole" before stitching me up. I didn't want to, but she said I could better understand her reasoning for stitching me the way she planned.
I must say it made me "woozy" to look in the mirror and my hands were so shaky I could hardly sign the consent form. I know that in a couple weeks my nose will look a lot better, and I plan on having laser treatments also. My first Mohs treatment was about 4 years ago for a red, scaly patch on my forehead. I had numerous stitches, and my scar healed well. However, the scar puckered at the top and bottom, so I had more stitches to fix it! Understand it takes a good 6 months to a year for a scar to look its best.
I have always worked to look my best, and if that's vain, then I'm guilty as charged! I am fair skinned, and always burned easily....and YES have used tanning booths on occasion in my 20's. I believe I will have more BCC's in time, so I will be diligent about seeing my dermatologist at least twice a year. The statistics for more BCC's are staggering. 50% of us will have another BCC within 5 years. If caught early, maybe Aldera Cream can be used instead of surgery. Nancy
I can totally relate and feel your discomfort. I also had the Moh surgery on my nose, but the surgeon said that it didn't need to be sticthed and thus, I have an indentation on my nose. I had another Moh surgery right between my eyes, on my forehead in August. The scar is still so ugly and not flat that the surgeon is in doing a scar revision in Feb. I am so tired of the scars on my once pretty face. I am nervous about the scar revision. I will hope for the best!
Michelle,
I'm glad I went ahead and had my scar revision. My puckers were very obvious and the surgeon was able to fix one of them. The other has since "calmed down" somewhat. In 3 weeks I need another small procedure done on my nose with more stitches. ugg!! All this can get emotionally draining. Inside I panic that I will be sooo scarred up. Yet, I know in another year things will have healed well, and I guess you just learn to live with it. Things could be so much worse. I have a friend going through ovarian cancer....puts things in perspective. Good luck to you.
Nancy
I'm 68 years old and had 3 bumps on my nose which my own doctor said were precancerous, well I made an appt. immediately with a dermatologist in a city 80 miles from my home. I had none locally and looked this one up on the net, read her bio and decided with her training she would be the one I would trust. I had the biopsies on Dec. 30, all three turned out to be basal cell, had the first spot on right side of my nose done on Jan. 17th, it was deeper than she or I thought but she showed it to me after she did the procedure and it was about the size of a pea, she took skin from the side of my nose and covered it with about 30 stitches. It has healed perfectly can barely see anything there. On Jan. 24th she did the other two on the left side of my nose one was not deep but other one was very deep. When she finished getting rid of the cancer she said she would take cartilage out of my left ear to rebuild the nostril or it would collapse, then would take skin from the left side of my face and cover the holes with that. Well it's a little over two weeks and is healing very well, had loads of stitches which came out on Jan. 31st and healing is going well, one little spot where most stitches were is still healing, she put me on antibiotics enough for two weeks then extended that for the 3 weeks from first procedure. She apparently is gifted in reconstructing what is damaged. She explained the Mohs procedure which I already read on the net but she was careful and gave me a mirror for before and after on all 3 procedures. Had an appt. with a doc. this week med. doc and says she wants this doc's name for any other patient with skin cancer. I always check every doctor I've needed out on the net. Even paid to see background of one who would do my heart procedure, so far I've picked a winner each time. Hoping now I won't need as many as in the past.
Marge
I have a very simliar situation. 9 years ago had basal cut off my right forehead, right up in the corner. There is a very white scar about an inch long. I did not have plastic surgery. Now they have found basal on the tip of my nose (just to the left) and I am going to a very well respected mohs surgeon (she took off the last cancer) and there will be a plastic surgeon there afterwards. She said that she doesn't know what she will run into so as you all know I don't know what to expect. I have met with the surgeon, should I meet with the P.S? What questions should I ask? Really scared after reading some of these stories!
Mistake!
I didn't go to a plastic surgeon after my mohs because the two I consulted with did not take my insurance, and the third had a waiting room full of hamster cheeked big lipped women and it just creeped me out.
I had the whole thing done in the MOHS surgeons office and it turned out to be a big BCC with three call backs, and now i have a scar from the right nostril down to the midline of my lip all the way from the middle to the right corner, like a right angle flap.
Needless to say I am not too happy with the way I look. It is two weeks since the surgery. My lip swelling is almost gone, but the sutured area is so numb, and from nostril to lip looks terrible. Red and thick. the sutured area over my lip doesn't look too bad just very numb.
Will the feeling come back? Will the area under my lip stop being so red and the scar not be so thick. I'm pretty bummed.
I'm 54 and at least in my head, think I looked pretty good. Blahhhhh
Zannie, I have read all of the others' comments and my big question is
If you have this procedure done during the work week, how soon can you return to work without looking like a freak? I am in front of people 5 days a week- 40 hours- I can not imagine going into work with a bandage covering my face, my nose etc.... I just don't know how I will ever be able to get this treated, Mohl's or whatever while I am working. I could take a week off of work- but after all of these readings- it sounds like the scar will still be so noticeable. How do people return to work after this?
I will NEVER have another Mohs Surgery again on my face. Its now been 9+ months and I still have a HUGE scar/line accross my face between my nose and eyes.
If one ever pops up again, I will dig it out of there with sizzors if I have to, get it frozen off, whatever but not Mohs again. The expense (very expensive) the black eyes for 5 days, the scar, etc. all for something that wasn't going to kill me. Never again!
I will NEVER have another Mohs Surgery again on my face. Its now been 9+ months and I still have a HUGE scar/line accross my face between my nose and eyes.
If one ever pops up again, I will dig it out of there with sizzors if I have to, get it frozen off, whatever but not Mohs again. The expense (very expensive) the black eyes for 5 days, the scar, etc. all for something that wasn't going to kill me. Never again!
I will NEVER have another Mohs Surgery again on my face. Its now been 9+ months and I still have a HUGE scar/line accross my face between my nose and eyes.
If one ever pops up again, I will dig it out of there with sizzors if I have to, get it frozen off, whatever but not Mohs again. The expense (very expensive) the black eyes for 5 days, the scar, etc. all for something that wasn't going to kill me. Never again!
I will NEVER have another Mohs Surgery again on my face. Its now been 9+ months and I still have a HUGE scar/line accross my face between my nose and eyes.
If one ever pops up again, I will dig it out of there with sizzors if I have to, get it frozen off, whatever but not Mohs again. The expense (very expensive) the black eyes for 5 days, the scar, etc. all for something that wasn't going to kill me. Never again!
I will NEVER have another Mohs Surgery again on my face. Its now been 9+ months and I still have a HUGE scar/line accross my face between my nose and eyes.
If one ever pops up again, I will dig it out of there with sizzors if I have to, get it frozen off, whatever but not Mohs again. The expense (very expensive) the black eyes for 5 days, the scar, etc. all for something that wasn't going to kill me. Never again!
I will NEVER have another Mohs Surgery again on my face. Its now been 9+ months and I still have a HUGE scar/line accross my face between my nose and eyes.
If one ever pops up again, I will dig it out of there with sizzors if I have to, get it frozen off, whatever but not Mohs again. The expense (very expensive) the black eyes for 5 days, the scar, etc. all for something that wasn't going to kill me. Never again!
I will NEVER have another Mohs Surgery again on my face. Its now been 9+ months and I still have a HUGE scar/line accross my face between my nose and eyes.
If one ever pops up again, I will dig it out of there with sizzors if I have to, get it frozen off, whatever but not Mohs again. The expense (very expensive) the black eyes for 5 days, the scar, etc. all for something that wasn't going to kill me. Never again!
I will NEVER have another Mohs Surgery again on my face. Its now been 9+ months and I still have a HUGE scar/line accross my face between my nose and eyes.
If one ever pops up again, I will dig it out of there with sizzors if I have to, get it frozen off, whatever but not Mohs again. The expense (very expensive) the black eyes for 5 days, the scar, etc. all for something that wasn't going to kill me. Never again!
I will NEVER have another Mohs Surgery again on my face. Its now been 9+ months and I still have a HUGE scar/line accross my face between my nose and eyes.
If one ever pops up again, I will dig it out of there with sizzors if I have to, get it frozen off, whatever but not Mohs again. The expense (very expensive) the black eyes for 5 days, the scar, etc. all for something that wasn't going to kill me. Never again!
I will NEVER have another Mohs Surgery again on my face. Its now been 9+ months and I still have a HUGE scar/line accross my face between my nose and eyes.
If one ever pops up again, I will dig it out of there with sizzors if I have to, get it frozen off, whatever but not Mohs again. The expense (very expensive) the black eyes for 5 days, the scar, etc. all for something that wasn't going to kill me. Never again!
Melissa,
Ya know what? I went to work with a small bandage on, not the big gauze the dr put on, and I am a hairdresser so plenty of people saw it and I was very candid and simply stated to everyone that I had surgery, and to some I said it was for skin cancer, and even though I was very self conscience, no one but me really seemed to care...and really, because of the puffy upper lip, I did look pretty stupid, lol...and I hated it, but time passes quickly, and no one really cares much but you.
People do stare a bit, but I think that mostly they are glad it isn't them!
I can't say I am happy about it...some moments it makes me really sad, but I had to do it, and people live with worse things and with worse scars, and I have to be happy that it didn't eat through a muscle and leave me lopsided...even though I am numb...and it is only about 2 months now, and it looks so much better at this point.
Just yesterday I saw a woman and we were talking about it,you will be SHOCKED with how many people have gone through this or know someone who has, and lo and behold, her scar, which I hadnt noticed, was in the exact same place as mine, but couldn't be seen unless you knew, and she had gone to the same doctor, and in NYC there are a million docs!
If you are really worried about how it will look evntually, make sure after the mohs the dr packs it and you go straight to a plastic surgeon. I wish i did, but mine will be fine anyway.
I also started using silicone scar strips at night as soon as the wound was totally closed. The ones from curad. you have to buy them on line from places like drugstore.com.
Good luck, and sorry I didn't answer sooner!
Melissa,
Ya know what? I went to work with a small bandage on, not the big gauze the dr put on, and I am a hairdresser so plenty of people saw it and I was very candid and simply stated to everyone that I had surgery, and to some I said it was for skin cancer, and even though I was very self conscience, no one but me really seemed to care...and really, because of the puffy upper lip, I did look pretty stupid, lol...and I hated it, but time passes quickly, and no one really cares much but you.
People do stare a bit, but I think that mostly they are glad it isn't them!
I can't say I am happy about it...some moments it makes me really sad, but I had to do it, and people live with worse things and with worse scars, and I have to be happy that it didn't eat through a muscle and leave me lopsided...even though I am numb...and it is only about 2 months now, and it looks so much better at this point.
Just yesterday I saw a woman and we were talking about it,you will be SHOCKED with how many people have gone through this or know someone who has, and lo and behold, her scar, which I hadnt noticed, was in the exact same place as mine, but couldn't be seen unless you knew, and she had gone to the same doctor, and in NYC there are a million docs!
If you are really worried about how it will look evntually, make sure after the mohs the dr packs it and you go straight to a plastic surgeon. I wish i did, but mine will be fine anyway.
I also started using silicone scar strips at night as soon as the wound was totally closed. The ones from curad. you have to buy them on line from places like drugstore.com.
Good luck, and sorry I didn't answer sooner!
I know this post is old, but you really don't get much on the internet for this topic. I had Mohs surgery a year and a half ago and it was a nightmare!!! The referring deramotologist did not opt for cuttery because he said the scar would be better with Mohs. I had a tiny spot on my forehead that I had covered with my hair for ten years!! It was not recurring. Now I have a concave (sunken in) large (from my eyebrow into my hairline and about an inch and a half across scar and permanent nerve damage and pain. Worse experience ever. An artery in my head burst after they took out the stitches and then the skin died from a pressure bandage that the idiot surgeon had me wear all night long. I thought I might die when the artery burst and my head looked like a football. Then the enormous pain of the nerve dieing that night and the pressure headaches to stop the bleeding were horrendous. Dr. did a second surgery and I have now since gone to another surgeon who will have to do ANOTHER surgery.
Awful. I would have rather scraped it out myself without medication, honestly.
I am suing the doctor, but it so hard to get anything done about a malpractice case.
I had no idea what I was in for. Thought I would get a couple of stitches and that the doctor was supposed to be finely delicate with the layers that he removed. He took a giant chunk out of my head!! And then cauterized and cauterized and I can tell you that the smell of your own flesh burning is in no way comforting.
PLEASE ask as many questions as possible before you do this. Get several opinions. Educate yourself. I would have much rather had the cuttery even if it left a little scar and then had a small plastic surgery done to correct. One and a half years later it still looks like I've been in a car crash or had someone knife me in the head (which is what happened). Since then my landlady had Mohs for a tiny spot I couldn't even see and she had a skin flap and long incisions. This procedure should not be routine!!
I just has mohs surgery...one right next to my right eye and one on my left temple...still very painful. What I'm concerned about is the "webbing" on my left eye. It looks like a tightening on skin above and below the round scar. My Dr. had me see a plastic surgeon and it's a wait and see thing if it gets worse. It's bad enough as far as I'm concerned. I'm 48 and it's something that people will notice...has anyone has this and does massaging the area help?
Hi -- I am a 55 year old woman, very active (surf / jog / yoga), and just had another basal cell (BCC) removed from my face (upper right forehead near hairline) with Mohs surgery (scar 1.75" long). Please note that I have had a total of 15 BCC / SCC over the past 25 years, and 10 have been on my face (including eyelids), 3 in my scalp, and 2 on my back. For the past 25 years, I have been a sunscreen fanatic and cover up always (even when surfing) - but still get these BCCs from cumulative damage done long ago. It seems about one every 2 years or so. In any case, your webbing will likely go away in time (give it a few months). The scar will fade too but will likely still be visible (use coverup makeup). It is depressing at first (right now I look like a freak -- not so much from the forehead scar but from the secondary swelling that is now in my eye :-( not fun). I really do have a lot of sympathy and good advice if anyone wants any, regarding BCC. Good luck - stay covered - live fully -carry on.
What kind of Doctor is best for the repair? My Dermatologist who did the Mohs surgery is offering to repair - mostly surface from squamous on the front of nose. I had a previous Mohs surgery in same location - from basal which went deep on the nose; and had a Plastic surgeon repair about 6 yrs. ago - and the scar was awful. So... an ENT surgeon vs. a Plastic surgeon vs. a Dermatology surgeon?
I'm sorry to hear about the stress of these scars, and I want to offer a potential solution to help you get back to your normal life. Dermaflage is a silicone based dermal filler for recessed scars on the face and body. It makes scars completely disappear for up to36 hours, and is waterproof. I've had several post Mohs patients tell me this product was their salvation. I hope this helps!
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I had a basal cell carcinoma removed from my hairline on March 22. The incision was fairly large, but my surgeon is a genius !! It's not even a month, and the scar is almost invisible ....
its been a month since the va did surgery and i have not still healed i had a large cancer removed from my left shoulder and required 23 stitshes and they just now gave me some antibotis and pain medicine. what should i do concrete1506@hotmail.com
use medicinal honey its a mircale cure i put it on half of the wound and that half u cant even hardly see any join but i didnt use it on the other half as i was kind of just covering the stiches at the bottom and the top is still raised so now im using it on the top use it as it heals and as soon as ur allowed just smear it on day and night