A mum mistook cancer on her face for a ‘clogged pore’ – and only went to get tested after seeing a TikTok warning about skin cancer.
Lauren Smyth, 29, used sunbeds in her early twenties but hadn’t touched them in years.
So she didn’t think much of a small pimple that appeared on the tip of her nose.
Dermatologists have even tried to unclog ‘clogged pores’ while cleansing the face.
But the mother-of-two from Peakhurst, Sydney, Australia, was scrolling through TikTok last month when a video made her pause.
It shows a young woman diagnosed with aggressive skin cancer after finding a spot like Lauren’s.
A biopsy revealed that the stay-at-home mom had squamous cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer.
As it slowly grew, she was informed that the cancer would spread – and is now on a course of current chemotherapy.
She wants to warn others about the importance of sun safety – and encourage people to check any suspicious spots.
Lauren, mum to Jesse, three, and Marcie, one, said: “Sunshine isn’t worth your life – I haven’t touched one in years but once the damage is done, it’s done.”
Lauren said she had never been a serial sunbed user, but frequented the tanning salon during summers in her early twenties.
She said: “If I went on holiday or came in the summer I wanted a tan, I’d go maybe once a week.
“I’ve never used them harshly, but I’ve used them – when you’re younger you don’t think something like this is going to happen to you.”
Lauren said the spot on her nose developed about four years ago, which she only noticed after going through photos.
Because it was so small and not dark like a mole, she never paid much attention to it.
She went to get it — and other moles and blemishes — checked after watching the video in August.
During her appointment she was asked if she had used sunbeds before.
She said: “I was told that if I had used tanning beds more than ten times before, however long ago, my risk of skin cancer would be greatly increased.
“The doctor said they thought it would be harmless.
“But I had such a bad feeling about it – I was calling every day asking when I was going to get the results.”
A few days after her biopsy, the doctor discovered it was cancerous and her options were to do a six-week round of topical chemotherapy or surgery.
Because the surgery would involve cutting out all of the skin on her face, plus the edges, she was advised to try chemo first.
She is now two weeks into treatment.
She said: “It’s had a huge impact – I’m constantly worried about whether the cancer will spread and I’m constantly checking myself for more spots.
“It keeps me up at night and I even dream about it.
“I caught mine early and I want to encourage others to go and check every place.
“Don’t use sunbeds – you can get the same tan from a bottle in the shop.
“And I want to share the importance of sun safety – if there was a cream to prevent breast cancer, you would use it.
“There is a cream to prevent skin cancer – but people don’t use it every day. And they should.”
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Image Source : nypost.com