Years of being in the sun has taken a toll on Caitlyn Jenner’s skin.
She recently posted on Instagram that she had what she called "sun damage" removed from her nose, US Magazine reported.
Jenner also reminded her followers to wear sunblock. The warning accompanied a photo of Jenner with a red nose where skin had been removed.
People Magazine reported that it was a cancerous basal cell carcinoma which was removed.
Jenner's stepdaughter, Khloé Kardashian, also had a skin cancer scare in 2016. "There was one mole I had on my back that was skin cancer. I had 8 inches of skin removed," US reported that Kardashian wrote on her website. "It was definitely painful because it was a lot of skin, but most of the time the removals hadn't been that bad."
Doctors remind everyone that they should use sunscreen when outside, People Magazine reported.
Warning signs of basal cell carcinoma
According to SkinCancer.org, there are five warning signs for basal cell carcinoma.
- Open sore that bleeds or crusts for a few weeks, then heals, then repeats.
- Red patch on face, chest, shoulder, arms or legs that can itch or hurt at times.
- Shiny bump or nodule that is pearly or clear. It can also be tan, black or brown and could be confused with a mole.
- Pink growth with a slightly elevated rolled border. It could also have a crusted dent in the center.
- Scar-like white, yellow or waxy area. It could be a warning of an invasive basal cell carcinoma that's larger than than the surface area.
Treatment
According to SkinCancer.org, there are multiple types of treatments for basal cell carcinoma:
- Curettage, Electrodesiccation: The growth is scraped off with a curette and the tumor is burned with an electrified needle.
- Mohs micrographic surgery: Doctors remove a thin layer of tissue that contains the tumor and it is repeated until the spot is cancer-free.
- Excisional surgery: Doctors remove the entire growth and the surrounding tissue.
- Radiation: X-rays are sent through the tumor.
- Cryosurgery: The tumor is frozen with liquid nitrogen and the area blisters or crusts then falls off.
- Photodynamic Therapy: Doctors use blue light and a topical lotion on the lesion.
- Laser Surgery: Lasers destroy the lesions either by removing the skin's top layer or by targeting under the skin.
- Topical medications: Medications like Imiquimod or 5-Fluorouracil are able to treat specific basal cell carcinoma.
- Oral medications: Vismodegib and sonidegib are given to patients with advanced basal cell carcinomas.
