Lauren Smyth, 29, from Sydney, Australia, has told how she thought a spot on her face was just a blocked pore before watching a TikTok video about skin cancer and getting it investigated
A mum dismissed a spot on her face as a ‘blocked pore’ before finding out it was skin cancer after watching a TikTok video.
Lauren Smyth, 29, had used sunbeds in her early 20s but hadn’t done so recently and she didn’t think much of a tiny pimple that appeared on the top of her nose. Even dermatologists had tried to unclog the ‘blocked pore’ during facials.
But while scrolling through TikTok clips last month, the mum-of-two from Sydney, Australia, came across a video that made her pause for thought as it showed a woman diagnosed with aggressive skin cancer after finding a spot similar to her own.
A biopsy revealed that the stay-at-home mum had squamous cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer. Although slow-growing, she was told the cancer would spread and is now undergoing topical chemotherapy.
Lauren, mum to Jesse, three, and Marcie, one, wants to raise awareness about the importance of sun safety and encourage people to get any suspicious spots checked out. She said: “Sunbeds aren’t worth your life – I haven’t touched one in years but once the damage is done, it’s done.”
She admitted that while she wasn’t a regular sunbed user, she did visit the tanning salon in the summer during her early 20s. She added: “If I was going on holiday or coming into summer I’d want a tan, I’d go maybe once a week. I never used them severely but I did use them – when you’re younger you never think anything like this will happen to you.”
Lauren noticed a small spot on her nose around four years ago while looking back at old photos. Because it was so tiny and didn’t resemble a dark mole, she didn’t give it much thought. It wasn’t until August that she decided to get it checked out, along with other moles and spots, after watching a video.
During her appointment, she was asked about her previous use of sunbeds. She recalled: “I was told if I had used tanning beds more than 10 times before, however long ago, my risk of skin cancer would have been highly increased. The doctor said they thought it would be harmless. But I had such a bad feeling about it – I called every day asking when I would get my results.”
A few days post-biopsy, the doctor revealed the spot was cancerous, presenting her with two options: a six-week round of topical chemotherapy or surgery. Given that the surgery would involve removing an entire piece of skin from her face, plus margins, she was advised to try chemo first.
She’s currently two weeks into her treatment. She shared: “It’s had a big impact – I’m constantly worrying if 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 get any spots checked.”
“Don’t use sun beds – 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’d use it. There is a cream to prevent skin cancer – but people don’t wear it daily. And they should.”
