Squamous Cell Carcinomas (SCC) appear most often on the face and neck, V-shaped area of the chest, and upper back. They are more likely than basal cell carcinomas to form on the top of the arms and hands. Sun exposure is a large contributor to the development of SCCs and hence they can occurr more frequently on the “drivers-side” arm.
Squamous cell carcinomas look like an inflamed (pink ish or reddish), scaly growth. They can feel sore or tender and some may repeatedly break open, bleed, and crust – never fully healing.
Four of the most typical characteristics of squamous cell carcinoma are shown below. Frequently, two or more of these features are present in one tumour.
| A wart-like growth that crusts and occasionally bleeds. | |
| A persistent, scaly red patch with irregular borders that sometimes crusts or bleeds. | |
| An open sore that bleeds and crusts and persists for weeks. | |
| An elevated growth with a central depression that occasionally bleeds. A growth of this type may rapidly increase in size. |
If you are concerned that you may have a squamous cell carcinoma it is important that you have it examined by a qualified physician as a matter of urgency. Curaderm is an effective treatment for SCCs in the skin, however in some cases they can metastasise, spreading to nearby lymph nodes or even to the lungs making treatment much more complicated.
Hi , thanks for the info on SCC, can you add typical pictures of SCC? Also it would be helpful if you compare the description and pictures for BCC.
Thanks!
Dear Ginjo,
Thank you for this comment. I was unaware our photos were not showing up. I will fix this problem shortly.
Thanks again,
Brooke