Author: Dr Devaindran Elango, GP with special interest in Skin Cancer Medicine, Australia (2026)
Reviewing dermatologist: Dr Ian Coulson
Edited by the DermNet content department
This lesion was detected on the left melolabial fold of a 74-year-old male during a skin check.
He was not aware of the lesion and it has not caused any symptoms.
He has a history of non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSC), high exposure to sunlight, and sunburn.
There is a papular lesion on the nasolabial fold, telangiectatic vessels can be seen coursing over it.
The likely diagnosis is a basal cell carcinoma (BCC), which was confirmed histologically with a biopsy.
Some of the mimickers of BCC include adnexal skin tumours (particularly sebaceous gland hyperplasia and trichoepithelioma), naevi, and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).
Most BCCs are treated by surgical excision. Curettage, cryotherapy, photodynamic therapy (PDT), topical treatments such as imiquimod or 5-Fluorouracil and radiation are some other treatment options, depending on the BCC subtype and risk stratification of each case.
