How my Carcinoma was Treated

Dr. Brian Sher looked at me and said: You have what is referred to as “Superficial Basal Cell Carcinoma”. I felt a bit shaken. Four weeks later Dr. Sher stated that the carcinoma was dead. Fantastic news for me!

I had been worrying about a couple of growths on my forehead for some time but I kept postponing a visit to the Doctor. About three months ago I was at a Sunday Brunch with friends and Lisa (a qualified Nurse) told me that a growth had appeared on her husband’s back, it grew and by the time he consulted a Doctor it was too late. He passed away soon afterwards. Lisa said that she was sharing the story not to frighten me but to encourage me to visit a Dermatologist as soon as possible. And I did.

Dr. Brian Sher is a reputable Skin Specialist in Johannesburg. He is always fully booked and I waited three weeks to be able to meet with Dr Sher.

Dr. Sher stated that my carcinomas (I had three on my forehead) were due to sun damage. And I thought of the long hours of “fun” on the beach many years ago – in fact they had been ‘long hours of irresponsibility on the beach’. My Mom would recommend me to wear a hat but I was a teenager and I knew better…

Dr. Sher prescribed ‘Aldara’ and he explained that I should apply a very small amount to each of the affected areas every night. He explained that this medication would draw antibodies to the affected areas. The antibodies would kill the malignant cells which would then be replaced by new, healthy tissue.

Dr. Sher also stated that 2 – 6 weeks after starting the treatment, my face would look terrible and the worst it looked, Dr. Sher continued, the more effective the treatment was.

I remember at the end of week 2 of the treatment whilst waiting for a lift at Bedford Towers, the doors opened and everyone was looking at me as they exited the lift. Obviously my face was not looking good at all… I met Dr Sher and he was actually pleased the way I looked – he reiterated that the treatment was being effective.

On a subsequent consultation with Dr Sher at the end of week 4, he stated that the carcinoma was finally dead. Very good news for me.

There are some simple basic do’s and don’ts w.r.t preventing skin cancer:

• Try not to be exposed to the sun between 10am and 2pm
• If you are in the sun, use a good sun-block and re-apply regularly
• Use sun-glasses whenever in the sun
• Wear a hat or at least a cap whenever in the sun
• have a healthy diet

For anyone interested in Dr. Sher’s contact details:
Dr. Brian Sher
Tel: 011 615 7994
Stay healthy!