A 37-year-old mum has spoken of the terrifying moment doctors told her the ‘disturbing pimple’ on her temple was actually cancer.
Sydney mum Sarah O’Brien dismissed the growth above her right eye as a blemish before going to the clinic to have it removed when he was there two months later.
Sarah told FEMAIL: ‘Every time I wiggled my fingers, I would touch it, which was annoying, so I wanted it to go away because of that.
I walked into the skin clinic without thinking, and the doctor said, “It doesn’t look right.”
An examination revealed that it was a basal cell carcinoma, a common skin cancer, which had to be removed immediately.
Mum-of-one Sarah O’Brien was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma (BCC) in May 2022 – a common form of skin cancer. Three months ago, she noticed a lump on her right temple and thought it was a pimple, but when it started to grow and hurt, she got it checked out.
The eight-month-old is sharing her story with her mother so others can remember the signs.
she said The news came as a ‘complete shock’ as she had a skin test five months before doctors confirmed the growth was cancerous.
Sarah, now 38, hit her face while driving – and not wearing SPF in the car – which made the spot visible, as it was above her eye on the driver’s side.
‘When I know I’m going to be in the sun, I’m always sun smart and wear sunscreen – but I’ve never thought about wearing sunscreen while driving,’ she said.
Sarah says skin cancer runs in her family and she knows the dangers of the sun when she spends time outdoors.
She also said that it is easy to diagnose.
The doctor performs a quick needle biopsy to remove a sample from the lump and send it to a laboratory for testing.
A few days later Sarah was called to the clinic to discuss the results – and was told it was cancer.
The now 38-year-old believes the bumps grew from not wearing sunscreen while driving, as the bumps were on her driver’s face.
‘It was definitely confronting, I think everyone believed they were invincible until something happened,’ she said.
Thankfully, the cancer was benign and had not spread elsewhere in the body, so it only needed to be removed without further treatment.
Because of this, Sarah considers herself lucky.
“I used to think that ‘cancer’ was an old man’s problem… but now I know for sure that it is not the case and it can happen to anyone of any age,” she said.
Thankfully, the cancer was benign and had not spread elsewhere in the body, so it only needed to be removed without further treatment. After the prognosis, the doctor removed the tumor with local anesthetic that day but needed to remove ‘about 3mm of tissue’ around it, which Sarah needed between seven and nine stitches.
After a poor prognosis, the doctor removed the lump under local anesthetic that day but needed to remove ‘about 3mm of surrounding tissue’, which Sarah needed between seven and nine stitches.
The scar took five months to heal with Sarah using bio oil to help the wound.
Today, every time she leaves the house, she wears sunscreen and teaches her three-year-old son about sun safety.
‘It’s so important to check your skin – and for young people to look after their skin,’ she says.
‘It’s so important to check your skin – and for young people to look after their skin,’ she says.
Two out of three Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer by the age of 70 – new TAL research shows most Australians don’t know how common skin cancer is in Australia. lower
TAL Health Services General Manager Dr. Priya Chagan said OCs should learn how to apply sunscreen every morning, reapply throughout the day, check predicted UV exposure daily and self-examine.
“Regularly checking your own skin can greatly increase the chance of detecting skin cancer early and getting successful treatment,” says Dr. Chagan.
‘Despite the importance of early self-examination, only 36 per cent of Australians know how to self-examine their skin.’
Visit the TAL website to book your skin self-check and skin test at your local GP over here.