What is basal cell carcinoma?
Carcinoma is a medical word for cancer. Basal cells are a type of cell in your skin. So basal cell carcinoma is a kind of skin cancer.
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Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer
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Fair-skinned people are more likely to get it than darker-skinned people
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It usually grows on skin that has been exposed to the sun
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Doctors usually remove this kind of skin cancer with surgery, but sometimes they treat it with chemotherapy or radiation
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Unlike other cancers, basal cell carcinoma hardly ever spreads to other parts of the body or kills you
What causes basal cell carcinoma?
What are the symptoms of basal cell carcinoma?
How can doctors tell if I have basal cell carcinoma?
How do doctors treat basal cell carcinoma?
To treat basal cell carcinoma, doctors will remove the cancer in one of these ways:
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Scrape and burn it with an electric needle
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Cut it out with surgery
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Kill the cancer with extreme cold (cryosurgery) or radiation
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Put chemotherapy drugs on the cancer
If the cancer has spread to other parts of your body, your doctor may give you chemotherapy to take by mouth.
How can I prevent basal cell carcinoma?
The best way to prevent basal cell carcinoma is to limit sun exposure:
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Stay out of the sun—sit in the shade, try to avoid the sun between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm
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Don't sunbathe or use tanning beds
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Wear protective clothing, such as long-sleeved shirts, pants, and hats with broad brims
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Use sunscreen that’s at least 30 sun protection factor (SPF)—it's important to use more sunscreen every 2 hours and after swimming or sweating
See a doctor if you see a change in a skin growth that doesn't go away after a few weeks.
