Skin cancers often involve the eyelids or adjacent face. Usually they appear as painless elevations or nodules, most commonly on the lower eyelids or at the corner of the lids near the nose. The lesions may be irritated, ulcerated, or crusted, but often they cause no specific symptoms.

The single most important cause of skin cancers on the face is excessive exposure to sunlight. People with fair skin and those who spend much time outdoors are most susceptible.

In all cases of eyelid cancers, it is important that diagnosis and treatment happen as soon as possible. This prevents spread and allows removal and reconstruction of the eyelid with minimal functional cosmetic deformity. Complete excision is essential to prevent recurrence, which may be even more difficult to treat.

The most appropriate method of tumor removal from the eyelids is surgery. A pathologist will then examine the specimen to ensure that the entire tumor was eliminated (Mohs technique). Once the cancer is removed, the eyelid is reconstructed using a variety of different techniques that depend on the size and the location of the defect.

The most common type of skin cancer around the eye is basal cell carcinoma. These grow slowly over several years and can be locally destructive. However, they do not spread to other parts of the body. The basal cell carcinoma ususally appears as a well-defined nodule with a depressed center.

The squamous cell carcinoma is less common and may appear as a somewhat more indistinct nodule. Although this type may spread to other parts of the body, this is very rare.

The two most-serious types of skin cancers of the eyelids are the sebaceous cell carcinoma and the malignant melanoma. Both represent only a very small percentage of all cancers of the lids, but both spread rapidly.