Understanding Basal Cell Carcinoma
- Actress Melanie Griffith, who battled skin cancer twice, recently shared a photo of herself at a charity event with a clear complexion, more than a year after being seen with marks on her hands and face leaving a skin clinic in Los Angeles.
- Griffith previously shared that she had surgery to remove an early stage skin cancer back in 2009, and she also shared that she had surgery to remove a type of skin cancer called basal cell carcinoma (BCC) in 2018.
- BCC is the most common form of skin cancer and tends to be slow-growing. It’s often overlooked as a pimple or skin tag.
- BCC growths can look like open sores, red patches, pink growths, shiny bumps, scars or growths with slightly elevated, rolled edges and/or a central indentation. These spots may ooze, crust, itch or bleed.
Griffith, whose first landed leading roles in “Body Double,” “Milk Money,” “Now and Then,” and “Lolita,” was recently spotted at an event for the nonprofit organization Women’s Cancer Research Fund alongside her fellow actresses Rita Wilson and Demi Moore.
Read MoreShe captioned the post, “Rita, Demi and me at the wonderfully Unforgettable Evening Fundraiser for @wcrfcure. Demi receiving the Courage Award, Wallis Annanberg donating $1 million! Douglas Foundation $500,000, much more from attendees. So much love , hard work and friendship in the room.View this post on Instagram
“And then there was @officialSting who gave us songs we all know and love and treasure. Thank you @jamietisch , @cl5star and @officialquinne for making it happen!”
Then, earlier this month, The Sun shared photos of Griffith out in Los Angeles wearing shorts and a tank top, revealing her fit figure.
She seemed to be wearing minimal makeup and had sunglasses on, which she matched perfectly with her black shoes, and denim clothing.
Prior to that, the Daily Mail reported that Griffith was seen in a tight-fit outfit, featuring black leggings and a black top, also in L.A.
Expert Skin Cancer Resources
- 3 Skin Cancer Myths, Busted: Can One Bad Sun Burn Cause Cancer?
- Cancer-Causing Chemical Found in Banana Boat Sunscreen Leads to Recall; How to Select the Right Sunscreen for Your Skin
- Treatment For Basal Cell Carcinoma: Mohs Surgery Removes This Skin Cancer With Smaller Incisions and More Certainty
- Atypical Moles Don’t Necessarily Mean You Have Melanoma
Griffith, who reportedly asked to join “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” earlier this summer, according to IMBD.
Also this month, Cover Magazine reported that the actress covered up a tattoo which she original got in honor of her ex husband Antonio Banderas.
According to the report, Griffith had her ex’s name tattooed inside of a heart on one of her arms since the ’90s.
We’re happy Griffith appears to be doing well, especially since she was spotted in January 2023 in West Hollywood with “a large new scar on the left side of her face,” that looked to be healing, as per the Daily Mail.
View this post on Instagram
Melanie Griffith’s Skin Cancer Journey
The New York City-born star, who resides inWest Hollywood, California, initially spoke about having skin cancer back in 2009, after she was photographed with a black eye – prompting speculation on how she obtained the bruise.
Griffith, who was married to Antonio Banderas at the time, quickly addressed the public to say it was from treatment to remove early-stage skin cancer from her face.
“The cancer-removing procedure had been performed early enough to prevent further complications,” her representative Robin Baum said, the Daily Mail reported.
Expert Skin Cancer Resources
- 3 Skin Cancer Myths, Busted: Can One Bad Sun Burn Cause Cancer?
- Cancer-Causing Chemical Found in Banana Boat Sunscreen Leads to Recall; How to Select the Right Sunscreen for Your Skin
- Treatment For Basal Cell Carcinoma: Mohs Surgery Removes This Skin Cancer With Smaller Incisions and More Certainty
- Atypical Moles Don’t Necessarily Mean You Have Melanoma
The actress underwent surgery to treat basal cell carcinoma (BCC), the most common form of skin cancer.
However, in 2017, she experienced a skin cancer recurrence and underwent treatment once again – causing her to become an advocate for the disease, urging people to be careful when exposing their skin to sun and wear proper protection.
In 2018, Griffith took to Instagram to share a selfie with a band-aid on her nose following dermabrasion treatment (a skin-resurfacing procedure) to treat the spot where she had the cancer previously removed.
She captioned the post, “Bandaged again after having dermabrasion, the final step to fix the now removed basal cell skin cancer. If any of you have it, get it fixed. If you lay in the sun, are exposed to lots of sun, be CAREFUL.”
“Use sunscreen. Get checked out by your Dermatologist,” the skin cancer advocate continued. “If you don’t have one, get one, or go to your nearest clinic and ask to be tested for it.”
That same year, Griffith told InStyle, “It’s a scary thing when you’re an actress and you depend on your face for work. But I realize I have to put a Band-Aid on it, and it’s fine. I just look like a dork.”
Understanding Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC)
Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is a form of highly curable skin cancer that causes a “lump, bump, or lesion to form on the outside layer of your skin,” where the skin is exposed to a lot of sun, as per the Cleveland Clinic.
The lesion can appear to be “small, sometimes shiny bump or scaly flat patch on your skin that slowly grows over time.” This is why these types of lesions can be overlooked as a pimple or skin tag. In patients with a darker skin tone, approximately 50% of BCCs are pigmented (brown in color).
The most common type of BCC is a nodular BCC, which appears as “a round pimple with visible blood vessels surrounding it.” More signs of BCC are:
- A lump that is slightly see-through and close to your normal skin color
- A lump that may be itchy or painful
- A lump that may form an open sore, which can ooze clear fluid or bleed with contact
If you happen to spot something abnormal or questionable on your skin, it should behoove you to reach out to your doctor. BCC signs can vary from person to person, so it’s necessary to seek medical advice when something seems off. You should always prioritize routine check-ups with your dermatologist and be weary for any skin changes in between visits.
BCC may be diagnosed through a skin biopsy, which is when a piece of the affected skin area is removed and examined under a microscope. Imaging tests are conducted if a doctor suspects the cancer has spread to a different area of the body something that is rare for BCC.
Protecting Your Skin From Cancer
While BCC lumps grow at a slow pace, they are still considered serious. If slow-growing BCC lumps are left untreated, they can increase in size and begin to take over deeper layers of the skin and tissues, like muscle and bone. Plus, BCC lumps can be painful and become ulcerated (become an open sore), which can cause bleeding and infection.
Meanwhile, the most dangerous form of skin cancer is called melanoma.
“Melanomas are the deadliest type of skin cancer because they have a tendency to spread to other parts of the body,” Dr. Anna Pavlick, a medical oncologist with Weill Cornell Medicine who specializes in treating skin cancer, told SurvivorNet in an earlier interview.
And the acronym ABCDE can you help know how to spot this kind forming:
- Asymmetrical moles: If you drew a line straight down the center of the mole, would the sides match?
- Borders: Is the mole irregular or jagged?
- Colors: Are there multiple distinct colors in the mole?
- Diameter: Is the mole larger than 6 millimeters (mm), about the size of a pencil head eraser?
- Evolution: Has the mole’s color, shape, or size changed over time?
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, our experts say it’s time to see your dermatologist for a skin check.
Mohs Surgery: The Best Option For Melanoma
Other red flags to watch for are:
- A sore that doesn’t heal
- Color that spreads from the border of a spot to the skin around it
- Redness or swelling that goes beyond the area of a mole
- Itchiness, tenderness, or pain
- A change in the way the surface of a mole looks
- Scaliness, oozing, or blood
Coping With a Diagnosis
Psychiatrist Dr. Lori Plutchik tells SurvivorNet that cancer patients’ emotions can range from anger to sadness and fear in a short span of time, something Griffith likely experienced as she battled cancer twice.
“The patient or person going through the stressful event should accept that emotions will be fluid. You may feel fine one day and then feel a massive wave of stress the next. It’s also important for those you look to for support whether that’s a therapist, friends, and family, or both to understand the fluidity of stress-related emotions,” Dr. Plutchik said.
If you are coping with a stressful diagnosis, SurvivorNet recommends checking in on your mental health. Your mindset impacts your ability to cope, and the added stress may require the assistance of a mental health professional. This could mean traditional talk therapy, medication, changing lifestyle habits (like exercise and diet), seeking out a support group, or many other approaches.
Questions to Ask Your Doctor
If you are diagnosed with skin cancer, you may have some questions for your doctor. SurvivorNet suggests some of the following to help you on your cancer journey.
- What type of skin cancer do I have?
- What treatment options exist for this type of cancer?
- Will this treatment be covered by insurance?
- Would treatment through a clinical trial make sense to me?
- What resources exist to help manage my anxiety because of this diagnosis?
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
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