Mum loses end of her nose after doctors dismiss ‘infected spot’ only for her DENTIST to discover cancer
A mum was forced to have a chunk of her face cut off despite doctors insisting it was just a ‘spot’ – as her dentist spotted cancer on the end of her nose.
Sarah Jones visited the doctors in 2020 following concerns the blemish at the end of her nose was not healing.
The 52-year-old was told the mark was an ‘infected spot’ and was given a course of antibiotics.
However, the suspicious-looking spot did not change – leaving Sarah puzzled as to why the blemish would not heal.
It was only during a routine dentist appointment in 2021 that Sarah was told by her dentist that the mark actually looked like skin cancer, which was later confirmed by doctors.
The Slimming World consultant underwent a surgery to remove the skin cancer from her face – but was left with a three centimetre dent in her nose after the operation.
The mum-of-one, who lives in Swarcliffe, Leeds, admits to using sunbeds “two or three times a week” during her younger years – and now warns others to steer clear of tanning beds after her cancer diagnosis.
Sarah said: “I’ve always had really bad skin but I had a little dry patch on the end of my nose that would bleed and just wouldn’t heal. I couldn’t cover it up with makeup.
“I didn’t think anything of it but then during lockdown, it would scab up then bleed, and then it would disappear then it would come back.
“It just didn’t heal. I phoned the doctor and they weren’t doing face-to-face appointments then so I sent her a photo and she said it was a spot that was infected and prescribed me some antibiotics.
“It was actually my dentist who then said ‘we need to talk about the patch on your nose. I think it’s skin cancer’.
“Dentists see your face close up and they’re trained to look at things. At the time my dentist was doing video calls with the doctor and they said straight away we think it’s skin cancer.
“I was horrified. I sat there and cried. You start thinking ‘am I going to die?’. You just start thinking about the worst-case scenarios. It’s really scary when you hear the words ‘cancer’.”
Sarah said she’d used sun protection her entire life due to her lighter skin tone – but admits to visiting tanning salons in her younger years.
Sarah said: “Being ginger I’ve always used skin protection. But I did use skin beds in my late 20s and early 30s. I went on about twice a week for two or three years. I liked the way I looked with a tan. And they helped clear up my skin.
“I used to go on a couple of times a week but I followed what I thought was safe. But looking at research now, even one sunbed can double your chance of getting skin cancer. And it’s something which is completely preventable. I hadn’t used sunbeds for 20 years.”
I feel a lot of regret for going on the sunbeds
Sarah Jones
Sarah was given the all-clear after undergoing an operation to remove the skin cancer on her nose at Chapel Allerton Hospital in Leeds.
But the mum said she’s been left with a “visible dent” on her nose – and says she no longer recognises herself in the mirror.
Sarah said: “Now there’s a very visible dent in my nose. It’s very misshapen. The actual place they took it from wasn’t that big, it was just the scar afterwards. And the scar came open and we had to wait for it to heal.
“My nose is a completely different shape and it changes how your face looks. I don’t recognise myself when I look in the mirror. I’m very mindful of it.
“I am self-conscious of people looking at it. Even when we didn’t need to wear facemasks, I kept it on because I was very aware of it.”
Sarah said her skin cancer battle has made her “regretful” of her sunbed use and urges others to stick to fake tan.
Sarah said: “I feel a lot of regret for going on the sunbeds. I would never let my daughter go on them. I wish I had never gone on them now.
“Now I’m constantly worried if something is an age spot or cancer. It’s changed my life. Cancers can come back.
“I’ll never go near a sunbed ever again. And when I go out in the sun, everything’s covered up. I always say to people – anything that looks suspicious, get it checked out. Stay away from the sunbeds, just use fake tan, it’s so much safer.”
Reg flags of cancer you must look for and act upon
THERE are more than 200 types of cancer, each with its own set of symptoms.
A cough lasting three weeks or more is a key sign of lung cancer – the most common cancer in the UK.
Changes to bowel habits lasting more than three weeks, such as diarrhoea, constipation, blood when you poo, or needing to go more often, are signs of bowel cancer, the second most common form of the disease.
There are also common symptoms that can be “red flags” of many forms of cancer, and should always be checked.
They include:
- Weight loss for no obvious reason.
- Pain that is persistent and unexplained, whether it be dull and consistent, or sharp and brief.
- Any lumps, bumps or swellings, such as in the neck, armpit, stomach, groin, chest, breast or testicle.
- Fatigue that makes you feel tired all the time and generally lacking in energy.
- Night sweats that are very heavy or a fever that can’t be explained.
- Changes to the skin, such as puckering on the breast, moles that have changed, very itchy or yellow skin.
- Unexplained bleeding from the bottom or vagina, or blood in urine, semen, stool, vomit or when coughing.