Be careful if you have such "blackheads" around your nose, as they may be skin cancer!

Audit expert: Zhang Yuhong

Chief Physician of Dermatology Department, Zhengzhou Central Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University

We all know that normal people have some imperfections. For example, moles, acne or blackheads on the nose are all very normal phenomena. Many people who are demanding about their appearance will go to medical institutions regularly to clean the blackheads on their noses. But sometimes, this inconspicuous "blackhead" can become a deadly tumor.

A woman in Nanjing, Jiangsu, had a black pimple on her nose. The pimple had not grown for many years, and she had always thought it was just an ordinary blackhead. It was not until she went to the hospital with her friend to do a blackhead treatment that the pimple actually grew bigger. After the hospital's test, this usually inconspicuous black pimple turned out to be basal cell carcinoma.

Source | Weibo screenshot

70% to 90% of basal cell carcinomas occur on the head and face (mainly on the nose and around the nose) , causing disfigurement. Moreover, its onset is very slow and it is difficult to detect in time, which leads to delays in treatment and causes a large number of patients to suffer from functional impairment. For example, severe nasal basal cell carcinoma may cause breathing difficulties. If basal cell carcinoma occurs on the scalp, it may also corrode the skull .

In addition to physical harm, this disease also brings a great psychological burden to patients. Therefore, it is very important to raise awareness of basal cell carcinoma and prevent it.

1

What is nasal basal cell carcinoma

Basal cell carcinoma is a type of external nasal tumor and a type of skin cancer. It is caused by mutation of basal cells in the nose and face. Most patients are middle-aged and elderly people in their 40s. The malignancy is not high and can be detected and treated early. Basal cell carcinoma is mainly caused by long-term exposure to ultraviolet rays, genetics, trauma, endocrine and other reasons.

Source: Healthy Hangzhou

The clinical manifestations of basal cell carcinoma vary, and the onset is hidden, and patients usually have no obvious clinical symptoms. There are 4 clinical types:

1. Nodular type: The most common type is a small gray or waxy nodule that is hard and gradually expands. There is a bead-shaped nodule with visible translucent protrusions and obvious capillary dilation, and there is also a central ulcer.

Source | Youlai Doctor

2. Superficial type: rare, seen on the side of the nose, the lesions are red and scaly, a few are invasive and may be accompanied by mild erosion.

3. Pigmented type: It is relatively rare and similar to the nodular type, but brown and black pigmentation will appear on the skin, which looks very much like a mole, but it may also be a melanoma, so it is easy to be misdiagnosed.

4. Sclerosing type: The most malignant type, with blurred borders, flat, yellow-white, atrophic plaques, often with ulcers, bleeding, scarring and other symptoms, often confused with scars and diagnosed as scars. It is generally discovered late, and proliferates rapidly, often beyond the visible range.

Source | Dingxiangyuan Forum

If you are diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma, don't panic. Nasal basal cell carcinoma is usually treated with surgery and photodynamic therapy. If the surgery is performed properly, the cure rate can reach 90%. The surgical excision is complete, the recurrence rate is also low, and no radiation and chemotherapy are required.

If you are concerned about facial surgical scars, there is currently photodynamic therapy, which can completely cure the skin in certain specific areas and achieve a "scar-free" effect. However, its cure rate is still lower than conventional surgical treatment.

The treatment of different basal cell carcinomas should be determined according to their specific conditions. Most patients can recover and can work and live normally after treatment. Patients should actively accept standardized treatment.

2

How to prevent nasal basal cell carcinoma

Here are some suggestions for preventing nasal basal cell carcinoma:

The most important environmental factor that causes basal cell carcinoma is ultraviolet rays . The source of ultraviolet rays that ordinary people are exposed to is generally the sun. Although proper sun exposure is good for the body, it should not be excessive, and you should not be overexposed to the sun. Too much is as bad as too little.

When the sun is scorching, try to reduce the time you spend outside. If you must go out, use physical or chemical sunscreen. For chemical sunscreen, choose sunscreen products with an SPF (sun protection factor) greater than or equal to 30 to ensure that no or very little ultraviolet light directly contacts our skin.

Try to avoid contact with chemicals, store them well, and reduce contact with them. Most chemicals are small molecules that can easily enter the skin and cause skin cell cancer.

Reduce skin radiation therapy, burns, scars, immunosuppression, etc. These behaviors will make our skin fragile, make skin cells unhealthy, unable to resist the invasion that it can usually resist, and allow external pollutants to take advantage of the opportunity.

In addition, you should also pay attention to balanced nutrition in your diet, avoid overeating, and eat more nutritious foods such as vitamins and proteins. You should get more rest and exercise appropriately to ensure your body is healthy and strong.

Modern medicine is developing at an increasingly rapid pace, and basal cell carcinoma no longer needs to be regarded as a scourge. Treat the disease correctly, seek medical treatment in time, and strive to be cured and recovered as quickly as modern medicine can achieve. On the contrary, if you do not prescribe the right medicine for your condition and try all kinds of medical treatments, you are wasting your life, which is time-consuming, laborious, and costly, and does not achieve good results.