The Melanoma, Skin Cancer & Mole Thread...

flyinraptr

Michael Peterson status
Dec 18, 2008
2,804
1,444
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San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
Making a quick trip back to the states - SoCal in January …. thinking it would be a good opportunity for a skin check up. Looking for a dermatologist in the Orange County area - any recommendations would be appreciated ...
 

hammies

Duke status
Apr 8, 2006
15,587
14,214
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this is a very big hole....

forehead skin doesn't travel as much so he doesn't think he
can actually pull it shut with just the surrounding tissue

at least this doc prescribed some legit pain meds

after suffering the CVS inquisition I went home and finally
got some sleep.

I wish they weren't such fkn assholes at pharmacies when
it comes to pain meds....
sh!t dude, keep us all posted. Like a lot of us I'm a white boy with a history that puts me at high risk.
 

ElOgro

Duke status
Dec 3, 2010
31,863
11,806
113
this is a very big hole....

forehead skin doesn't travel as much so he doesn't think he
can actually pull it shut with just the surrounding tissue

at least this doc prescribed some legit pain meds

after suffering the CVS inquisition I went home and finally
got some sleep.

I wish they weren't such fkn assholes at pharmacies when
it comes to pain meds....
Think about leaving the scar and having some pubic hair tatoo’d around it. That would be a conversation starter.
 
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Reactions: the janitor

afoaf

Duke status
Jun 25, 2008
49,204
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I think "leaving" the scar is a foregone conclusion

the doctor made a Harry Potter joke....
 

hammies

Duke status
Apr 8, 2006
15,587
14,214
113
Anybody here ever do Fluoruoricil? My dermo has been pushing that idea, rather than me getting liquid nitrogen zaps every 6 months. Been reading up on it, looks gnarly.
 

littlewave

Michael Peterson status
Nov 15, 2009
2,927
176
63
Orange County
Anybody here ever do Fluoruoricil? My dermo has been pushing that idea, rather than me getting liquid nitrogen zaps every 6 months. Been reading up on it, looks gnarly.
Yep, on my lips. Sucks. Find out how they want you to dose. I did too many days in a row and it was super painful, doc changed his rec on how to apply when I have to do it again (my lips were chronically chapped which turned out to be pre cancer from getting fried lips as a kid). All in all though, not that bad and worth doing for peace of mind. Father in law had this done for his face, pretty gnarly red and peeling and some pain but again, not that bad. I'd say go for it.
 

Chee-to

Michael Peterson status
Jan 11, 2002
2,426
969
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Is the Fluoroicil where they chemically burn off your face with the UV reactive coating? My uncle had that done a couple weeks ago. When I saw him on Thanksgiving he looked like he had been in a boiler room explosion. He said "never again" and that he would rather just deal with the other methods.
 

littlewave

Michael Peterson status
Nov 15, 2009
2,927
176
63
Orange County
Is the Fluoroicil where they chemically burn off your face with the UV reactive coating? My uncle had that done a couple weeks ago. When I saw him on Thanksgiving he looked like he had been in a boiler room explosion. He said "never again" and that he would rather just deal with the other methods.
Yes, it's a chemo cream basically. You apply it, and it removes layers of skin. It's uncomfortable, painful even, but if the alternative is cancer?
 
Oct 15, 2015
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Fluorouacil (efudex, 5FU) is a cream, reacts with the pre-cancers. Usually put it on twice a day, 2 weeks, causes a rash but the hope is to clear out the precancers, prevent transformation to SCC.

The UV reactive med has a similar aim. Its called photodynamic therapy (PDT), they apply levulan to the area, let it sit for an hour, then put you in a blue light for 16 minutes.

Is the Fluoroicil where they chemically burn off your face with the UV reactive coating? My uncle had that done a couple weeks ago. When I saw him on Thanksgiving he looked like he had been in a boiler room explosion. He said "never again" and that he would rather just deal with the other methods.
 

hgsouth

OTF status
Apr 15, 2006
182
8
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BCCs can be white?

Yes - derm didn't know what it was until we biopsied. It looked like a dull pimple that just didn't go away. And I caught it quick because I just happened to be going to the derm, otherwise I may have left it for longer. Everyone who surfs should see a derm once a year at the very least in my opinion. I go every three months now as I am in a high risk group with more than average number of irregular looking moles...it helps me sleep better at night.
 
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Oct 2, 2019
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I'm a mohs surgeon in california. Surfers 30 and over ought to get checked every year. Sooner if you have a "pimple that wont go away" (bcc almost 100% of the time) or a sore that heals and then bleeds again repeatedly. Mohs is by far the best method for treating skin cancer on the face. Only 1-2mm of skin is being removed beyond the cancer. The reason people think the scars are so large is you cant sew a circle closed without getting puckers on each side. You have to cut a football shape around it so it sees down flat. If the cancer is on the nose, lips, around eyes, ears then skin must often be freed up enough so that laxity from a distant site can be used to cover the defect without distorting what are called "free margins" like the nostril or eyelid. Trust me we want the scar as small as possible just like you do.
Other methods (scrape and burn, 5fluorouracil, other topicals) have much lower cure rates, so recurrence is likely, and those can be catastrophic because they may grow undetected for years. Radiation is an option for some cancers on the face, but usually best reserved for people over 65 and lower risk subtypes of bcc and scc, because radiation runs the skin in the area and if you get another cancer there in the future your options are limited. Cure rate not as high as mohs surgery either.
 
Oct 15, 2015
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I wouldn't say that recurrence with other methods is "likely". Lots to account for there (size, location, age, type of skin cancer). Yes, it is more likely than with surgical methods but even scrape/burn can be a great method when used appropriately. I had a Mohs surgeon in San Diego tell me that if he had a BCC on the trunk/arms/legs, he would prefer the "scrape/burn".

And yes, absolutely agree that surfers should be getting skin checks regularly by a board certified dermatologist.

I'm a mohs surgeon in california. Surfers 30 and over ought to get checked every year. Sooner if you have a "pimple that wont go away" (bcc almost 100% of the time) or a sore that heals and then bleeds again repeatedly. Mohs is by far the best method for treating skin cancer on the face. Only 1-2mm of skin is being removed beyond the cancer. The reason people think the scars are so large is you cant sew a circle closed without getting puckers on each side. You have to cut a football shape around it so it sees down flat. If the cancer is on the nose, lips, around eyes, ears then skin must often be freed up enough so that laxity from a distant site can be used to cover the defect without distorting what are called "free margins" like the nostril or eyelid. Trust me we want the scar as small as possible just like you do.
Other methods (scrape and burn, 5fluorouracil, other topicals) have much lower cure rates, so recurrence is likely, and those can be catastrophic because they may grow undetected for years. Radiation is an option for some cancers on the face, but usually best reserved for people over 65 and lower risk subtypes of bcc and scc, because radiation runs the skin in the area and if you get another cancer there in the future your options are limited. Cure rate not as high as mohs surgery either.