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Tue 05 May 2004Check-upBasal Cell CarcinomaEarly last year I noticed a couple of dry, rough spots on my forehead. As they did not go away I went to a dermatologist who diagnosed "basal" skin cancer. He said I got them from the sun but as I'm not one for sunbathing I wonder how I got them."Sun spots", otherwise known as solar keratoses, commonly occur in those who are exposed to sunlight. Fair-skinned people and those of us with Celtic backgrounds are particularly prone to the effects of the sun. In some people these lesions can develop into either a basal cell or a squamous cell cancer.