The C word

It’s the word that strikes fear into the toughest of men. But cancer is no longer the desperate killer it once was. Pioneering research has improved the rates of detection and cure, while our knowledge of what changes we can make to our lives to reduce our risk grows greater year after year.

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Different types of skin cancers exist depending on what type
of cell becomes abnormal,’ says Dr Noor Almaani, consultant dermatologist at The Private Clinic of Harley Street. ‘Usually, they’re divided into melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers. Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is by far the most common cancer in humans and amounts to 75% of skin cancer cases, occurring most commonly on the face.’

[…]

Nick Hill, 30, was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma in 2012 ‘I’m into long distance running and rock climbing and was always outdoors doing stuff, but hadn’t ever given much thought to sun protection. About a year before my diagnosis, I noticed a red dent above my right eyebrow, which I initially thought was an acne scar. Over the course of the next year, it rapidly grew in size.  I booked an appointment with my GP who diagnosed skin cancer, which had grown into my eyebrow and spread underneath the skin so, when they removed the cancer, it also meant removing my eyebrow, too. I was given the all clear after the procedure, but I looked very different, which made me quite self-conscious.  The NHS removed the cancer, though unfortunately weren’t able to reconstruct my face. But I was able to undergo an eyebrow transplant – using hair follicles taken from my scalp – at The Private Clinic of Harley Street.’