BCC excision wounds left leg

Basal Cell Carcinoma Not So Serious? Think Again!

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common skin cancer and often not taken as seriously as squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) or, of course, melanoma. Here’s why this is a mistake.

The pic above is of my left leg. It was taken in September this year, a few days after surgery to remove two skin cancers, both diagnosed as basal cell carcinoma (BCC for short). The surgeon had to go wide and deep – almost to the bone – to be sure of clearing the margins. Bit gruesome, huh?

Here – have a close-up. You’re welcome.

BCC excision wounds left lower leg

Post-surgery BCC excision wounds before skin grafts failed

There’s more to my little BCC tale than soft-core surgical porn. I have to admit to some discomfort at going public with something like this, but I feel compelled to do so for two reasons:

  1. To caution others not to make my mistake of ignoring skin features deviating from the norm. Thing is, I’m generally well informed on skin cancer, but until recently my main focus was melanoma. I knew about the other types – squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and BCC – and was aware that the former can be just as dangerous as melanoma IF not treated in time. But I thought BCCs were pretty trivial as skin cancers go, and nothing much to worry about. Skin cancer lite, if you like. I suspect I’m not the only one to have arrived at that misunderstanding. The experience I’m about to relate hammered home just how wrong I was. My hope is that this post might serve as a wake-up call, prompting others who have noticed something unusual about an area of skin, however small or seemingly insignificant, to consult the doc a lot sooner than I did.

  2. To provide some detailed information for people diagnosed with one or more BCCs on the lower leg requiring surgical excision and skin grafting. I couldn’t find a lot online on exactly what to expect after such surgery, particularly should the skin grafts fail. Hopefully, my experience as reported here will fill in some gaps for others facing similar treatment and rehab.

I should state from the outset that as unprepared as I was for what I went through post-surgery, others have suffered far more from BCCs left untreated for too long.

For example: the news came through just before my leg was operated on that John Blackman (the voice of Dicky Knee on Hey Hey It’s Saturday) was to have his lower jaw removed due to the bone being infiltrated by a BCC, which started as a spot on his face he’d assumed to be a pimple. If he’d checked with his GP when he noticed that the “pimple” was not going away, it could so easily have been biopsied and diagnosed as a BCC, then removed in the surgery under local anaesthetic in a few minutes, with minimal scarring and discomfort.

I well understand John Blackman’s apparently cavalier attitude. For years, I ignored the two patches of dry scaly skin on my shin that turned out to be BCCs. Like Blackman, I had no idea of their pathology. Like Blackman, I assumed they were nothing worth troubling my GP with. They didn’t hurt, itch or bleed. They did spread over the years, one more than the other, but so slowly that I barely registered the change.

I wrote them off as some sort of varicose eczema or, more likely, “sunspots” (solar keratoses) – areas of benign sun damage like those on my scalp my GP has periodically blitzed with liquid nitrogen for, oh, must be a couple of decades now. I wear trousers most of the time, and these two small areas on my leg didn’t look all that bad anyway, so why rush to get them zapped? I knew legs take notoriously longer to heal than other parts of the body, so my decision to put off having treatment seemed reasonable.

The Earlier You Check ANY Abnormal-looking Skin With Your Doctor, The Better!


Like Blackman, if only I’d checked with the doc way earlier when the lesions were small, they could have been excised in the surgery under local anaesthetic, the stitches removed in a few days and that would have been it. End of story.

Instead, with the BCCs developing slowly over years due to my neglect, this is what happened when I finally showed them to my GP:



Short Version

Biopsies were taken that showed both lesions to be BCCs. I was referred to Plastics at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, and operated on a few weeks later by a plastic surgeon. As you can see from the pics, the wounds were too substantial to stitch, requiring skin grafts. The leg was dressed and wrapped in heavy compression bandaging and I was instructed to keep it elevated day and night. No walking, except to the toilet and back, no sitting except with the leg elevated, no standing, no driving, no showering.

The grafts failed and the anticipated 2 week healing period blew out to months. During this time my activity remained extremely limited. The compression bandaging required changing several times weekly, once at the hospital Plastics Dressings clinic (massive wait times, inconsistent quality of nursing), the rest at home by Silver Chain nurses (wonderful service from wound-care specialist nurses).

I had a setback when the large wound developed hypergranulation, which resolved after a couple of weeks of treatment with silver nitrate. I had my first shower 3 months after the surgery. A couple of weeks later, just before Christmas, my Silver Chain nurse declared the wounds healed and discharged me from care.

On Reflection

Things could have been worse. Much worse. Wounds like mine that don’t heal as they should are classified as “chronic” (chronic wound = ulcer); some chronic wounds don’t heal for many months, years, or ever, requiring ongoing professional assessment and bandage changing several times weekly. And as with any open wound, there is a risk of infection. In rare cases, when unable to be controlled, infection can result in amputation of the affected limb, or even death. So, as incapacitated and inconvenienced as I was for way longer than expected, I count myself lucky. And boy, was the lesson punched home that BCCs are no trifling matter!

As problematic as the legs can be with healing, though, BCCs (or any skin cancer) have most serious potential repercussions when on the head or upper body. IF LEFT UNTREATED, the surgery required to remove the BCC can result in serious disfigurement. And that’s not all…

There are lots of sites out there claiming that BCCs rarely spread. You get the impression that “rarely” means hardly ever. This is not correct. BCCs on the head are potentially lethal because they can spread to the brain. Further, as John Blackman’s case demonstrates, those on the face can infiltrate other facial structures or features, including the eye. Skin cancers on the upper body, including BCCs, can spread to the lymphatic system, then to the major organs or elsewhere. As with any skin cancer, a BCC that metastasizes (ie: spreads) is bad news. The prognosis can be poor indeed – as in, death within months.

The Takeaway

Please, if you have any concerns about any feature of your skin, anywhere, check in with your GP. Caught early, most BCCs can be easily treated, with minimal scarring or discomfort. Ignore, and the outcome can be grim indeed. Forget about BCCs metastasizing being “rare”. Remember, rather, that BCCs are malignant tumours, like SCCs and melanoma. They can and do spread. Get them checked early, and you minimise the risk of spreading, and/or disfigurement.



Detailed Version

  • The path report of the biopsy taken from my leg by my GP indicated that the larger of the lesions was an “infiltrative” BCC (ie: more aggressive). Who knew there were different varieties? Not me. Despite medical assurances that it was extremely unlikely, I began to worry that the bastard had gone through to the bone, as poor John Blackman’s had done.

  • On referral to Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, I was examined by a plastic surgeon who categorised me Class 1, and placed me in the high priority surgery queue. 3 weeks later, the BCCs were excised under “twilight” sedation (my choice, although it might as well have been GA – I can recall nothing of the operation). I was allotted a bed in the recovery ward and allowed to go home that evening, my leg trussed up as below.

  • My impressive post-surgery compression bandage

  • As previously mentioned, the excision wounds were too large for direct closure. That might not have been the case had the BCCs been on stretchier areas of the body, but there’s not much flesh for the surgeon to work with on the shin. I needed two skin grafts. Initially, the skin graft site was more painful than the excision wounds, stinging like a bad graze. As well it might – it’s basically raw meat.

  • skin graft site BCC surgery

  • There was pain from the graft and wounds on standing and walking, but not so severe as to require pain killers. People have different pain thresholds, and mine is not particularly high, but I didn’t even need paracetamol. The pain when at rest with the leg elevated was negligible.

  • Post-op, my expectation based on briefing by the hospital nurses was that I would have to lie around with the heavily bandaged leg elevated virtually all day, and raised on two pillows in bed at night (not a recipe for sound sleep, I can tell you that!). Walking would need to be restricted to toilet visits and the like. Showering was not a possibility. Ditto cooking, sitting in normal position, or standing. This regime was to continue until the grafts healed, which I was told would take around 2 weeks.

  • In fact, the grafts failed (not all that uncommon, it seems, especially for those like me with venous insufficiency – although none of the hospital staff warned me of the possibility). Suddenly, the rehab period had blown out to weeks if not months.

  • The wounds had now become “chronic” (chronic wound = ulcer), which meant the healing period could be indefinite. This raised all sorts of other nasty possibilities (see “On Reflection” above). By this stage I was plenty worried.

  • With the grafts having failed, it took 3 months+ for my wounds to heal naturally. That’s 3 months of severely restricted activity, with the leg under constant compression.

  • Home visits from Silver Chain nurses for wound monitoring/treatment and changing of compression bandages were required every second day until healing started, then twice weekly. I also had to attend the Plastics Dressings clinic at the hospital for weekly assessment and dressing changing – a real pain in the arse, since the waiting time was between 2 and 4+ hours. It was also a pain for my partner, who had to taxi me to and fro (I had to keep the leg elevated at all times and minimise walking, so using public transport was not viable). She also had to do all the cooking, washing up, shopping etc. All I could do for the first few weeks was lie about with my leg up above heart level, every 30 minutes or so getting up to walk around for a short while to enhance blood circulation. Pretty frustrating for an active person. I could feel my fitness slipping away day by day, and tried to push the walking a bit, managing a few hundred metres to the local shops and back. My Silver Chain nurse chided me for overdoing it.

  • A few weeks into the rehab period, I had a set-back when the larger wound developed hypergranulation (overgrowth of skin, which impedes the healing taking place beneath). It resolved with several applications of silver nitrate.

  • With the wounds starting to look better, my Silver Chain nurse instructed me to increase my walking to get the blood pumping. This marked the beginning of real progress with my healing.

  • 3 months after the op, my nurse gave me the go-ahead to have a shower. What a joy! A couple of weeks later, I was given the all clear. Healed at last!

  • Healed doesn’t mean back to normal, however. It’s now 3.5 months since the surgery, and I’m still way down on condition despite a month of walking at some pace for about an hour 5 days per week. Stay prone for months, and I guess it’s not so surprising that it takes more than a few weeks of walking exercise to return to reasonable fitness.

Some facts about BCCs you might not know

  • Once you’ve had a BCC, odds are you’ll get more. I’d never had any skin cancer diagnosed until 2018, when I had 4 removed. In order of detection, the first was on my upper right arm, the second in a nasty position near the corner of my right eye, and the next two on my lower left leg. I’d dismissed the one on my arm as an infected mosquito bite, but mentioned it to my GP when it hadn’t gone after a few months. He was suspicious of its pathology, and cut out more flesh than usual when performing a biopsy. Turned out it was a BCC, completely excised. Great call of the doc’s, then – nothing more to do. Fortunately, I discovered the one near the corner of my eye at a very early stage. A delicate operation was performed by a plastic surgeon at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, and now, around 7 months later, the scarring is virtually undetectable. I make no apology for repeating, yet again, that early detection and treatment makes all the difference. STAY VIGILANT.

  • Here’s something sinister: BCCs can recur in the same place, even if completely excised. STAY VIGILANT!

  • And something else. BCCs can infiltrate a nerve, and when they do they’re near-impossible to treat. STAY VIGILANT!

  • BCCs (and other skin cancers) are not confined to sun-exposed areas. The one on my upper arm was on the underside, where the sun rarely reaches. And I have recently heard of a case of a BCC being excised from inside the ear, only to recur years later, having already metastasized when discovered. STAY VIGILANT!

  • Statistically, 2 in 3 Australians are diagnosed with skin cancer by the age of 70. It’s not unusual for it to come on in the 40s, or younger. Since BCC is the most common form of skin cancer, odds are pretty high that YOU will be diagnosed with it at some time. The greater your sun exposure, the higher your risk, especially if you’re fair-skinned. STAY VIGILANT!

An Acknowledgement of Silver Chain

I was under the impression that Silver Chain is a geriatric home care service. I now know better. Their services extend to patients of all ages.

Silver Chain are indispensable in providing excellent home care, taking some of the pressure off the clearly over-burdened and under-budgeted hospital system, and freeing patients and carers from the inconvenience of time-consuming trips to and from hospital clinics. The Silver Chain nurses specialise in wound-care (among other things). I cannot sing their praises loudly enough. I am particularly indebted to my regular nurse, Gemma, for her unending positivity and terrific care (her obsessively neat compression bandages are works of art).

Please support Silver Chain in any way you can. You never know when you might need their services.

Some Observations on Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital

First, the positive. I am a believer in the public hospital system, and in the past have had uniformly excellent service as a public patient. That standard of excellence was maintained by the plastic surgeons who operated on me to excise the BCC close to the corner of my eye in mid-2018, and the two BCCs on my lower leg in September 2018.

However – and it pains me to say this – in the latter case, the post-op follow-up at the Plastics Dressings clinic fell short of acceptable standards in several respects. For example:

  • Lack of supervision of obviously inexperienced young nurses, one of whom tended to me on two visits. Both times it was evident that this nurse was struggling. Both times errors were made, one of which so concerned my Silver Chain nurse that she complained to Plastics management. The blame lay with the lack of supervision, not the young nurse.

  • Unavailability of compression bandages and tubing that according to Silver Chain were essential in my wound care and basic requirements in a dressings clinic.

  • Even some of the experienced nurses seemed to lack training in wound management and/or appropriate bandaging. Early in my rehab, one decided I didn’t need a compression bandage. My pain levels increased and we sought advice from Silver Chain, who advised that compression bandaging was essential until the wounds healed, and sent out a nurse to remedy the situation first thing next day.

  • During one visit, after being tended by a nurse I was left sitting on the bed, uncovered open wounds pooling with blood, for around 40 minutes before the doctor came.

  • Nursing issues aside, the doctors seemed to be on constant rotation – I rarely had the same one twice, so there was no sense of continuity of assessment or treatment. There was never a follow-up appointment with the operating surgeon (eye or leg). One doctor was so rushed he didn’t consult my medical file notes pre-examination. On seeing my wounds he asked me what I’d done to myself.

  • There is a sign in the Plastics Dressings clinic warning patients that wait times can be up to 2 hours. I rarely got out of there inside 2.5 hours. The last time I attended, I had to wait over 4 hours. That was the final straw. I elected not to go again. I had far more confidence in my Silver Chain nurse, not to mention the convenience of her home visits.

  • I do not know whether the problems I describe apply to other sections of the hospital. I suspect the Plastics Dressings clinic is understaffed and unable to cope with patient demand. This may be down to budgetary restrictions. I also suspect there is a systemic problem. Whatever, the shortcomings I noted are significant and need to be promptly addressed. I am submitting feedback on my experience to the hospital. I’ll report back here on the response I receive.

  • The Upsides of My Long Rehab

    Yes, there were some.

    Such as being forced to stay away from the computer (no laptop, too uncomfortable to sit at the PC with my leg elevated – and too painful for the first 2 weeks post-surgery). I was especially glad to be free of Facebook and its toxic milieu, which I discovered on going cold turkey that I detest even more than I’d thought. How good it was to be absent for months from that world of bigheads and sycophants and rampaging tribalism and all the nastiness and sniping and shaming and self-righteous virtue signalling bullshit that goes with it.

    Such as getting back into reading after years of immersion in screens. I read for hours per day – old novels, new novels, non-fiction (I even got around to reading Germaine Greer’s The Female Eunuch all these years too late). I just couldn’t get enough. It was like waking up from years of somnambulism.

    Such as watching some classic old westerns I’d been promising myself to catch up on since forever. That said, I surprised myself by not bothering too much with film. Reading was physically easier, and devouring novels more enjoyable and stimulating.

    The break from routines enforced by my extended rehab has given me new perspective on a number of things. I’m grateful for that.

    For example, I found I did not miss attending media film screenings. Regular screenings and reviewing films have been a major part of my life for 10+ years now, but I find myself dispirited for a few reasons, and not looking forward to resuming reviewing. I may elaborate in another post. And things may change. But for now, I feel disinclined to continue to devote so many hours and so much effort to my reviews for so little return. That is not to say I will cease reviewing, but I do intend to make some modifications, and to prioritize other personal writing projects that mean more to me.

    A Parting Plea

    SEE YOUR DOCTOR SOONER RATHER THAN LATER IF YOU NOTICE OR ALREADY HAVE ANY UNUSUAL SKIN FEATURE(S) ANYWHERE. Early detection and treatment of BCCs (or any skin cancer) makes all the difference.

    If you think anyone you know might be at risk of developing BCC or other skin cancers (and if you live in Australia, that’s just about everyone) please point them to this post. I’m happy to answer any questions in the Comments thread, or privately.

12 thoughts on “Basal Cell Carcinoma Not So Serious? Think Again!”

  1. Jesus. Having also been not on facebook, I didn’t know all this was going on! So sorry to hear and I hope things are starting to look up.
    This post is very valuable, thanks for writing it! Also, good on you for the shout out to Silver Chain, and you’ve made very thoughtful, constructive observations on your experience at Charlies. Can I suggest that you copy your feedback to the hospital to the Minister’s office too?

    1. Thanks for your obviously heart-felt response to the post, Lisa, and for your suggestion to copy the Minister’s office into my feedback to SCGH. I will certainly take that up.

      If you have a name or email contact address for that office, would u mind mailing it to me privately? If not, no probs of course.

      Hope all is well with you and yours.
      R

  2. Well
    Thank You for sharing your experience! !
    Today, (March 26,2019)
    I went to my Dr. and had cryo on my left shin, it is right smack in the middle!
    This crazy looking “bump” came from no where,literally ,maybe 3 weeks. I thought it was a wart, I was treating it with apple cider vinegar 😆, anyway, I tend to be a minimizer, but even I knew ,not to fool with this “thing”.
    Called for the appointment on Monday, I was there today,Tuesday.
    She did the freezing,but told me it was either basal or squamous
    and I’m scheduled for a biopsy April 19th 2019.
    The Dr. said the two toughest areas to work on are bald heads and shins.😨
    In 1989, I had a very extensive surgery from a melanoma, on my left clavicle. Also, involved a large skin graft.
    So, I was very curious about the shin area in particular. It was not easy to find info or pictures of a basal or squamous on the shin.
    I am sorry you had such a rough time in recuperation but happy to hear you are well now.
    I truly appreciate your courage in sharing the pictures. They are tough, but really was what I was searching for.
    I am still working at 67, at a physically demanding job. (Female)
    I had the impression you may be in Australia, I am in Florida,USA.
    Thanks again for sharing.
    Early detection! !

  3. Thanks for your comment, Jackie, and I’m glad to have been of some help – makes the effort that went into the post worthwhile.

    Good on you for getting the shin lesion looked at so early. Very sensible. That decision will stand you in good stead, I’m sure, if a biopsy shows the lesion to be a BCC or SCC – as you well know, the quicker the detection, the less severe the treatment. Best of luck, but I’m sure you’ll be fine – you’ve made your own luck by getting the thing checked out so promptly.

    Yeah, I’m in Perth, Western Australia. Like Florida, I imagine, we have ultra-high UV readings. In summer it’s extreme every day. Plus the hole in the ozone layer makes the UV light even more dangerous than it might otherwise be.

    All the best to you!
    R

  4. Thank you for sharing your story. I too have had skin cancer on my shin. It was squamous cell. I had no idea what to expect. The doctor acted like it wasn’t a big deal and did not give me the option of MOHs surgery which I would have chose. It saves skin tissue and a plastic surgeon can usually figure a way to stitch even in a shin. I was horrified after removing my bandages. I was never warned or informed of what I would have to deal with. I developed an infection, became allergic to adhesive and antibiotic cream. After months of dealing with my dermatologist I decided to go to a wound clinic and thank goodness I did. After my first debridement of the wound things started looking up. All in all from start to finish it took 7 months to heal. Shame in the doctors for not educating us on what to expect. I now have a large dark scar on my shin. It’s been 4 years and I would like to have a revision if possible. Please tell me how your scars look and if you have had laser or a revision done to improve the appearance. Thank you again.

  5. Hi Debby, and my apologies for this delay in responding.

    Firstly, sorry to hear about your squamous cell ca, and especially that it’s on your shin (head and upper body more dangerous, though, and lip very disfiguring, so it could be worse).

    My medical advice is that carcinoma excision sites in the shin region are rarely able to be stitched closed. The skin is too tight in that area, given that they always need to take a wide margin (ie: a big chunk of flesh around the cancer, both wide and deep).

    I completely agree that patients should be forewarned of the results of surgery and the possible complications. I suppose the thinking is that there is no point in alarming patients about things that might not happen, but I suspect post-surgical infections and complications are not all that rare. Whatever, I know I would rather have known about the risks of complications and extended periods of healing and wound care.

    And speaking of wound care, as per my post, it seems that not every professional in the field has the expertise required to manage a wound that is not healing as it should. Sorry to hear that your experience has been similar to mine in this regard – but glad for you that you did eventually find people who were effective in managing the wound to the point of healing.

    My scars are not too bad, considering the great scoops of flesh the surgeon took out. They’ve evened out pretty well – far better than I’d anticipated. I’m not bothered by them, and don’t have any plans to have revision surgery or the like. Another reader also asked if I would post pictures of the scars post-healing, and I really must get around to it. I’ll get some up in the next few days, OK?

    That’s not to say you might not benefit by having your scar seen to. I have no experience to call upon here, though, so can’t validly comment on the result you’re likely to get. I would be interested in your following up on this here, and I believe other readers would be, too. Perhaps you’d consider contacting me with before and after pics so I can post them here for the benefit of others in a similar position. (I can post pics in the Comments threads, but unfortunately members of the reading public can’t – at least, not without forwarding to me first).

    Where are you, by the way?

  6. Thanks so much for taking the time to share your experience.
    I had a punch biopsy performed yesterday on my left shin. Results confirmed bcc and have referral to a plastic surgeon. Right in the centre of my shin.
    Having read your experience, I now feel armed with valuable info to prepare my questions regarding procedure.
    Do hope you are feeling much improved yourself.
    Thankyou again for your insight- most appreciated.

    1. Thanks a lot for your kind acknowledgement, Annette. I’m very glad to have been of some help to you in seeking a briefing on your procedure.

      My shin scars are well healed now, thanks (still intending to post a pic, but keep forgetting, or the light is wrong or whatever…). However, just had another BCC excised from the other shin! This one was not advanced, and was located higher and towards the inside, where there is more flesh. The GP was able to cut it out in his surgery under local anaesthetic, so ended up being a trivial matter. Just demonstrates again, the importance of early detection. And that once you’re on the treadmill, you can expect more skin cancers to emerge. Must stay vigilant!

      Very best of luck with the excision of the BCC on your shin. Hope it’s far less advanced than mine was, and does not require a skin graft. If it does, fingers crossed that the graft takes and you recover with a minimum of discomfort and scarring.

      Cheers!
      R

  7. I had a BCC removed two weeks ago from the outside of my lower leg about halfway between the ankle and knee. They did not stitch the wound and left it to heal naturally. I have to keep the wound packed with vaseline to keep it from dryng out and change the dressing twice a day. No pain whatsoever, however. Wound is about the size of a dime and about 1/8″ deep. I expect healing to take 8 to 12 weeks, because of the location. I am a 76 year old female.

  8. Hi Sharon and thanks for your comment.

    Firstly, my apologies for this delay in approving your comment for publication and responding to it. I have been having technical problems with my blog, and was unable to log in as Administrator to approve new comments. Hopefully all fixed now.

    Yes, going by my experience, the healing could take 8-12 weeks with an open wound like yours. I assume you’re having regular sessions with wound-care nurses to dress the wound and keep an eye on it. My post op nursing was excellent and I hope yours is too. Makes a big difference to your confidence that the healing is going OK, and if there are issues, as there were with me, it’s great to feel you’re being tended by an expert who knows what they’re doing.

    All the best with your healing. Hope it progresses fast.

    Cheers
    R

  9. Hi everyone,
    Last night I used an app called skin vision to take a photo of a spot that has been crusting, bleeding, weeping for quite a long time on my right shin. The app told me this was ‘high risk’ . I had a bcc on my nose some years ago , but this spot I’ve had for more than 5 years and it never occurred to me that it could be a cancer. Anyway I’m going tomorrow to the dermatologist, I’m grateful for all your comments as I’m feeling very worried.

  10. Hi DW. Yes, it does sound like you need to have that checked out, so good on you for taking action. Hope it all works out fine for you.

    Best
    R

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