27 years old with basal cell carcinoma... is this indicative of anything more serious?

I just got back from a dermatologist who removed a growth I had on my nose. While we are waiting for the results of the biopsy, he felt almost certain that it was basal cell carcinoma. While this in and of itself isn't all that scary, the fact that I'm only 27 years old concerns me, and the doctor did mention that that is pretty unusual. If in fact it is BCC, does this mean anything serious for me, or will it just be a matter of bathing in sunscreen every morning and getting regular checkups?

Also, I should mention that I am pretty fair-skinned, and while I have never intentionally tried to tan or anything, I have had some pretty nasty sunburns in my life, especially on my nose, but it wasn't any more frequent than once every year or two.

Once you have one skin cancer then your chances of developing a second one are very much increased. That said, basal cells are the easiest treated and least dangerous of the two basic non-melanoma skin cancers. You are not at risk of metastatic disease and simple excision should cure your cancer. You do need to be careful about developing other types of skin cancer.

Be vigilant about having new skin bumps evaluated by the dermatologist. See the dermatologist at least yearly for a full body skin check and more frequently as you get past age 40. Wear a hat when outside and wear a broad spectrum suntan lotion on sun exposed skin - and especially on the scar from where the BCC was removed.

ask ur doctor if taking asparin will help cause i read if u take it once in a while it will reduce the chance of gettin cancer and if u allready have it it will reduce the cancers spreading in ur body so they can remove it Report It

My mom had the same thing, a few more came back over the years as she was a sunworshiper but thankfully they just removed them and were all biopsied normal. While still considered skin cancer he told her to stay out of direct sun and if she is in it he gave her a prescription cream to put on. She had had nothing since.

I only got burned a couple of times, but developed basal cell on my face, shoulder and abdomen. (Probably from wearing a bikini!) Now I make sure I am seen at the dermatologist every few months. Some of the tips the dermatologist told me was, do wear a hat, use plenty of sunscreen and limit your exposure to the sun. Basal cell can be serious, when neglected, leading to surgery. I personally, had radiation done, then later had surgery on my face. The women in my family, was prone to it. Take care of your skin.