What is typical incision length for basal cell?

That's a great question. I am sorry you have had to deal with basal cell. Surgeries are never easy whether you have an excision or Mohs. I am not sure there is a typical length. I have had Mohs three times for basal cell carcinoma and my incisions varied in length with the longest being about two inches. The other two were about an inch to an inch and half. I am including a link to an article that may help you cope as you heal. Sending you healing hugs! I know recovery can be tough. We are here if you need us! April, Skincancer.net, Moderator

https://skincancer.net/life-with-skin-cancer/dealing-scars/

Hi , I wanted to share what we heard from the Facebook community:

"It will in part be based on the size of the basal cell carcinoma. One that has grown and is larger will require a larger incision. On me, even the smaller ones, though, typically have a 2-3” incision. The good news is that scars fade over time, and having a scar is a small price to pay to have the cancerous area removed."

"Incisions will seem to be very long for small skin cancers but my doctor explained that the incision has to be long so skin is not torn when removing the cancer. It also makes for easier closing of the wound. Hope this helps."

"The scar on my cheek for a small Basal Cell after Moh's surgery and reconstruction by a plastic surgeon is 2 inches. It has been a month and I can see that it is slowly fading. And true a small price to pay to have the cancer totally removed."

"Mine was about 2" on my left arm. Just so glad it was caught early and removed!"

"I had one on my ear about the size of the tip of a pencil.....I had 32 stitches as some cartlidge had to be removed and my ear needed reconstructing.x"

"I had one of mine(had 7) ,burnt 4 mths ago,its just below my eye.its a mth now that there are 4 spots growing again around it.the doctor said to put some cream on it to see if it "goes away" not feeling very hopeful, but i want to avoid another huge scar on my face,already have 2.....another app in 2 mths, we'll see..."

I hope this is helpful! It sounds like there are many others with a similar experience to yours. Let us know how healing is going, if you'd like!

- Nina, SkinCancer.net Team