Can Skin Cancer Look Like a Pimple?

Hi, my name is Weilan Johnson and I’m a board-certified dermatologist at U.S. Dermatology Partners. Today I’m going to talk to you about if skin cancer can ever look like a pimple, and in fact, believe it or not, yes it can look like a pimple or a bug bite.
Sometimes patients will come to see us, and they'll point out a bump on their skin that they believe was a pimple or a bug bite, but it has not resolved as pimples or bug bites typically do within a few weeks. Sometimes skin cancers can start off looking almost exactly like a pimple, round, raised, and red, but the difference between skin cancer and a pimple is that a pimple will typically resolve on its own after a few weeks, skin cancers typically will not, and they can continue to grow. They can feel harder than normal pimples. They can even have a scaly or rough texture on top.
There is a type of skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma or a basal cell carcinoma that can often look like pimples. Patients will often say they thought it was a pimple but that it didn't resolve like a pimple typically does. People should be concerned about a bump that appears to be a pimple if number one, it doesn't resolve as a pimple should, or number two if it keeps growing and growing and growing, or number three, especially if is a bump or what appears to be a pimple, but it bleeds on its own or it bleeds more easily. For example, if you wash your face and only one spot bleeds, that can be a sign of skin cancer.
If you're concerned that you have a pimple that may be skin cancer, please visit our website at USDermatologyPartners.com and find a location nearest you.