Latest news with #basalCellCarcinoma
News.com.au
5 hours ago
- Health
- News.com.au
Mum's ‘pimple' led to terrifying ordeal
A mum has revealed how what she thought was an innocent pimple led to her getting a chunk of her ear cut out. Rebecca Cook, 46, had always been vigilant about sun safety — particularly as a mum to two children. 'I've got two kids who are in Nippers, so we were always wearing hats, sunscreen and long sleeve shirts. I've been pretty regular with my skin checks,' she said. But two years ago she discovered what she thought was a small, white pimple when she was pulling her hair back. She asked a friend to have a look. Her friend was suspicious and so she went to the GP. Immediately, her doctor realised it was a basal cell carcinoma (BCC), which is a type of melanoma. Ms Cook was sent to a plastic surgeon, and it was surgically removed. Doctors used a skin graft, taken from behind her ear, to repair the chunk that was pulled out. It was described as a 'very nasty' form of BCC. It took a month to recover. 'I was freaking out because there was a chunk out of my ear, so I rang the surgeon freaking out,' she said. But it healed and barely left a scar. 'When I went back for the results, it turned out it wasn't an ordinary BCC but an infiltrative BCC,' she said. This meant every three months she needed to get checked because the possibility of needing radiotherapy was very real. This lasted for a year. Last week, she got the official all clear. A spot had appeared on her nose, but a biopsy labelled it all clear. 'I'm so vigilant now, I carry sunscreen in my car,' she said, pointing out the ear she'd found the cancer in was on her driver's side window. 'It got to the point where I was wondering if I should wear a hat in the car. I was so paranoid.' Australia is the number one country in the world for skin cancer — and Ms Cook is sharing her story as she believes sometimes Aussies can be a bit blasé about it. Around 2000 Australians die from skin cancer every year. She is advocating for everyone to be more vigilant about sun safety and skin checks — even in the midst of winter. She also called for more bulk billing skin check clinics to be available. Doctor Ludi Ge, a dermatologist at Moshy, said that all-year round skin protection is important. 'In winter UV levels can reach 3 or higher, which is sufficient to cause skin damage and photo ageing, while the cumulative effect of daily exposure, even in cooler months, increases the risk of skin cancer,' said Dr Ge. 'People often associate sunburn with heat, but UV rays penetrate clouds and can harm the skin regardless of temperature, even when driving in the car.' 'Skin cancers can appear in different forms including lesions like a mole or scab that won't heal, bleeding on light contact, changes in size and colour and flat moles that become raised or develop an irregular edge.'
The Independent
06-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Atomic Kitten singer reveals skin cancer diagnosis
Former Atomic Kitten singer Natasha Hamilton has revealed she was diagnosed with skin cancer in 2024, after initially mistaking it for a mosquito bite. Hamilton noticed an itchy spot on her back while on holiday in Majorca. It was later identified as a basal-cell carcinoma. She believes her past use of sunbeds in the late 1990s and early 2000s contributed to her diagnosis, recalling frequent burns and the desire for a "sunkissed look". Hamilton is now cancer-free after the tissue was removed. Hamilton's mother, Maria, was also diagnosed with the same type of skin cancer after Natasha urged her to get a mark on her face checked by a dermatologist.
News.com.au
05-06-2025
- Health
- News.com.au
TV host discovers he has skin cancer during live on-air broadcast
A Fox TV news anchor discovered this week that he had skin cancer during a live TV segment. Mike Jerrick, co-host of Good Day Philadelphia on FOX29, was broadcasting a skin care segment with Dr. Joanna Walker, a dermatologist with the Tara Miller Melanoma Center at the University of Pennsylvania. As they discussed the importance of checking the skin for signs of cancer, Walker inspected a spot on Jerrick's right elbow, pronouncing that it was basal cell carcinoma, a common type of skin cancer. 'It has all the features of the most common type of skin cancer, which is also very treatable when it's caught early,' Walker said in the segment. Jerrick expressed surprise, asking, 'What are you going to do to it, burn it off?' The dermatologist replied that the cancerous spot most likely needs to be 'cut and stitched.' The good news, she said, is that basal cell is a 'very slow-growing type of skin cancer' that's not likely to spread anywhere else on the body. 'But you do need to remove it so it doesn't keep growing and take over normal skin,' Walker advised. Jerrick spoke with Fox News Digital about the revelation, noting that it was a complete surprise to him. 'I did say that we should have her bring her [micro]scope because I wanted to check out a couple of things on my arms, so that part was planned, but I never really thought it was going to be skin cancer,' he said. The dermatologist recognised it right away, Jerrick shared. 'When she blurted it out, I didn't get alarmed or anything,' Jerrick said. 'It was just like, 'Oh dang, I should have done this a long time ago.'' 'I was more shocked that she said she was going to cut it out instead of burn it off — that's where I got surprised.' Jerrick is scheduled to have the cancerous spot removed on Friday. 'I should be fine,' he said. 'She'll just suture me up and I'll be on my way.' Many people have reached out to thank Jerrick for airing the segment. To those with similar markings or skin changes, 'it's important to get those checked,' he advised. Here in Australia, Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer, making up 66 per cent of all skin cancers, according to the Cancer Council.
Fox News
04-06-2025
- Health
- Fox News
TV host discovers he has skin cancer during live on-air broadcast
A Fox TV news anchor discovered this week that he had skin cancer during a live TV segment. Mike Jerrick, co-host of "Good Day Philadelphia" on FOX29, was broadcasting a skin care segment with Dr. Joanna Walker, a dermatologist with the Tara Miller Melanoma Center at the University of Pennsylvania. As they discussed the importance of checking the skin for signs of cancer, Walker inspected a spot on Jerrick's right elbow, pronouncing that it was basal cell carcinoma, a common type of skin cancer. "It has all the features of the most common type of skin cancer, which is also very treatable when it's caught early," Walker said in the segment. Jerrick expressed surprise, asking, "What are you going to do to it, burn it off?" The dermatologist replied that the cancerous spot most likely needs to be "cut and stitched." The good news, she said, is that basal cell is a "very slow-growing type of skin cancer" that's not likely to spread anywhere else on the body. "But you do need to remove it so it doesn't keep growing and take over normal skin," Walker advised. Jerrick spoke with Fox News Digital about the revelation, noting that it was a complete surprise to him. "I did say that we should have her bring her [micro]scope because I wanted to check out a couple of things on my arms, so that part was planned, but I never really thought it was going to be skin cancer," he said. The dermatologist recognized it right away, Jerrick shared. "When she blurted it out, I didn't get alarmed or anything," Jerrick said. "It was just like, 'Oh dang, I should have done this a long time ago.'" "I was more shocked that she said she was going to cut it out instead of burn it off — that's where I got surprised." Jerrick is scheduled to have the cancerous spot removed on Friday. "I should be fine," he said. "She'll just suture me up and I'll be on my way." Many people have reached out to thank Jerrick for airing the segment. For more Health articles, visit To those with similar markings or skin changes, "it's important to get those checked," he advised. Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer, affecting about 3.6 million Americans each year, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.
Daily Mail
26-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
The unbelievably subtle 'spot' on woman's nose that turned out to be cancer - doctors forced to remove chunk of her face
A mother has shared the incredibly subtle sign of her skin cancer that struck twice, and resulted in a 'big gaping black hole' in the side of her nose. Kerry-Ann Buckell, 35, from East Grinstead, spotted a red puss-filled bump on her nose in 2021 and thought it was just a pimple. She squeezed the spot and didn't think much of it, but it kept reappearing over the next three weeks. Despite bursting the pimple every time it reappeared, it would soon come back again, prompting the celebrity hairstylist to seek medical advise. Her doctor was concerned and referred Ms Buckell to a dermatologist for further checks and a possible biopsy. Starting to fear the worst, Ms Buckell looked up her ailment online, where all answers seemed to point to a terrifying diagnosis. 'The words skin cancer practically jumped off the webpage', she told That's Life magazine. 'But I convinced myself that it was just a white-head.' She added that she always wore SPF and has never been a 'sun-worshipper'. Despite lockdown restrictions, Ms Buckell was seen quickly and, following a biopsy, she was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma—a common form of skin cancer, affecting around 75,000 people in the UK every year. Ms Buckell had missed the main symptom of the disease— a growth or unusual patch on the skin, which usually affects areas that are exposed to the sun. Luckily, as is usually the case with basal cell carcinoma, unlike ultra-deadly melanoma, it had not spread. She said: 'I had read about people who loved being in the sun who had got skin cancer, but that wasn't me, so it left me very confused when they confirmed my diagnosis. 'It hadn't spread. But the realisation that I had cancer was hard to swallow.' The biopsy removed the growth and Ms Buckell recovered well—until three years later in November 2024, when she noticed another spot on the side of her nose. She tried to burst it with her fingers, but the spot would not stop bleeding. She said: 'I noticed another spot, this time double the size, that wouldn't budge'. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kerry-Ann Buckell / KB Hair Extensions (@kbhairextensions) Two weeks later, the spot was still there, and, as a single mother to her 10-month old son Albie, Ms Buckell was becoming increasingly concerned. 'As much as I tried to stay in denial, I knew what it was', she said. The hairstylist was referred to a dermatologist who confirmed that the cancer was back. Ms Buckell had the disease removed, which left her with a big black hole on the side of her nose. 'This time, it was much bigger,' she said. 'It was scrapped off and I was left with a big gaping black hole on my face that made me really self-conscious.' Ms Buckell's nose has since healed and she has recently opened up her own hair salon after taking a course in trichology—the study of diseases and disorders of the hair and scalp—to help her understand warning signs. She also checks her client's scalps for any signs of skin cancer. 'Never did I think skin cancer would appear as a regular looking spot', she said. 'I'm now doing everything I can to encourage skin safety.' She is now urging people to take precautions before heading out into the sun. 'It might leave you glowing at first, but it could result in your life being on the line.' It takes a scarily low number of sunburns – only five – to make you vulnerable to skin cancer, which kills more than 2,000 people in the UK every year. The deadliest type is melanoma, which penetrates into the deep layers of the skin and can spread to other organs. Non-melanoma skin cancers, like basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas, are slow growing, starting in the top later of skin, meaning that doctors can almost always cure them. Common symptoms include a spot that won't stop bleeding—due to the fragile nature of the tumours—a bump that appears darker than the surrounding skin, and crusty patches of skin that feel rough or itchy. Whilst this type of skin cancer is relatively harmless, patients often have to undergo invasive operations to remove large chunks of their skin, in order to remove the cancer—which in some cases can be disfiguring. The most harmful type of sunrays are UVB rays which hit the outer most layer of the skin and cause sunburn, as well as UVA rays which penetrate much deeper. Both of these are ultraviolet, meaning they can cause skin cancer. A worrying 90 per cent of skin cancer cases in the UK are a direct result of sunburn and using sunbeds, according to Cancer Research.
