26-Year-Old Man Shares Early Sign That Led to Skin Cancer Diagnosis

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A young man has revealed the very subtle indication of skin cancer he initially overlooked for several months, leading to the necessity of removing a ‘chunk’ of tissue from his forehead.

When Sam Tee, 26, noticed a pink dot on his forehead several months ago, he didn’t think much of it.

Mr. Tee occasionally used tanning beds, even though he was aware that these devices can elevate the risk of developing skin cancer by up to 75%.

But after friends flagged the importance of keeping tabs on any changes to his skin, the weight loss influencer booked an appointment with his GP.

‘I had a pink dot on my forehead and for ages I just left it,’ he said in a TikTok video that has been viewed over 218,00 times.

‘Everyone was telling me to go and get it checked,’ he added.

‘I ended up going to the doctors and he said I think it’s a BCC—a basal cell carcinoma.’

Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) is a slow growing cancer that is the most common skin cancer in the UK.

Although Basal Cell Carcinomas (BCCs) typically do not spread throughout the body and are generally treatable, their treatment can require excising significant amounts of skin, which can result in noticeable scarring.

Surgeons will also often have to cut out healthy skin, to make sure the cancer doesn’t spread.

He continued: ‘In the meantime I went private to get another opinion and they said “you’re young, it’s a mole, don’t worry about it and go back to the NHS where they’ll be able to get it removed”‘.

The 26-year-old then went back to his GP, where he had the mole removed, biopsied and sent off for tests—which doctors suspect will confirm basal cell carcinoma.

‘What they’re going to do now is send that off for testing and in the meantime book me in with a plastic surgeon to close up my forehead.

‘The message is just be careful.

‘I was doing sunbeds. I wasn’t abusing them but I was doing them and obviously it’s not great.

‘Just keep it in mind. If you’ve had something over two weeks, go and get it checked,’ he urged his followers.

Ultraviolet radiation from sunbeds can damage the DNA in skin cells, causing skin cancer. According to Cancer Research UK, there is no such thing as safe UV tanning

BCC is one of the two main types of non-melanoma skin cancer that starts in the top layer of skin.

While many serious skin cancers begin in moles, experts have urged the public to look out for other changes that don’t involve the traditional raised coloured spot.

Some BCCs appear as flat, red, scaly marks or have a pear-like rim.

Many become ulcerated, while others are lumpy with shiny nodules.

It comes as data by Cancer Research UK revealed that last year skin cancer rates reached a record high, with new melanoma diagnoses increasing by almost a third in just a decade.

Now, experts are warning that melanoma cases are on the rise again.

Melanoma is the UK’s fifth most common cancer, as well as the deadliest type of skin cancer, resulting in 2,000 deaths a year.

The most common sign of this lethal type is a mole that grows, bleeds or changes colour.

Doctors suspect Sam’s mole is a BCC, meaning that is likely to be treatable

Both melanoma and BCCs can be caused by cellular damage from UV and UVB rays from the sun and tanning beds, but those with a family history of the disease are at greater risk.

With warmer weather fast approaching, research suggests that 21,300 cases of the disease could be expected this year, the majority of which could be avoided by taking precautions such as applying sunscreen regularly and staying out of the sun.

The NHS advises staying out of the sun during the hottest part of the day, between 11am and 3pm in the UK, keeping arms and legs covered and using sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30.

Currently around 15,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with melanoma each year—with the incidence rate rising faster than any other common cancer.

How the cancer is treated depends on whether the cancer has spread, with only 27 per cent of patients diagnosed at stage four surviving beyond five years.

This comes as patients with the deadliest type of skin cancer are set to be given fast-tracked access to a revolutionary cancer vaccine on the NHS.

The needle-free injection is custom-built for patients to stop their melanoma returning—which experts believe will herald a new era in fighting the disease.

It works by boosting the immune system’s response, helping it to ‘attack’ proteins that are specific to melanoma tumours, preventing them from returning.

Currently, around half of patients diagnosed with melanoma respond to immunotherapy. But those who don’t are at a higher risk of their cancer getting worse.