Diagnosis

I've had annual mole checks for over 20 years.  I've had lots of "atypical" moles removed, and one that was considered pre-cancerous, but that's all.

A month after my annual mole check with my dermatologist, I found a tiny bump – 2mm - on my left nostril that bled ever so slightly after I washed my face (we’re talking one or two drops of blood).  Other than that, the area was totally unremarkable.  I thought perhaps my skin was dry, so I used extra moisturizer, but it didn’t go away.

After a month or so I found myself in my dermatologist’s office with my daughter for her regular visit, and I mentioned it to the doctor as I was leaving. She had always said if I find anything suspicious in between our annual visits to let her know.  She took one look and said that it needed to be biopsied for sure.  It just so happened that her next appointment cancelled, so she was able to biopsy it right then.  She was fairly certain that it was a basal cell carcinoma.  So when the pathology came back a week later positive for basal cell, I was not surprised.

Both my mom and and sister have had basal cells removed from their faces, and I know there is a genetic component to this as well (not to mention that we are fair-skinned, blond-haired and blue-eyed Californians – all major risk factors) so I knew my turn would come one day.  They both had the Mohs procedure, and had great outcomes, so I knew that that was what I would do too.  

This picture is the day before surgery (3 months after biopsy).  

You can’t even tell where the basal cell is – it’s that small. 

Prior to biopsy, it looked like a slightly raised pore, kind of pearly color. 

The biopsy took off the raised portion.