Young mum’s urgent warning to all Australians

A young mother has issued a warning for Australians after discovering a “pimple” was in fact something much more sinister.

A young mother has issued a warning for Australians to be sun safe as the weather heats up after discovering a “pimple” was in fact cancer.

Rachel Olivia, 32, suddenly had a pimple pop up on her forehead near her hairline. It felt as though it had appeared overnight. Two years later, the mother has been left with a large brown scab in its place.

The initial small, red mark was dismissed by a doctor as a “pimple she’d squeezed too hard”. It kept flaking up and never healed. So she had it frozen off.

“I left it for a year. It then never healed so I listened to my gut and pushed to get this reassessed by specialists who then did a biopsy and confirmed it was cancer,” she told news.com.au.

Rachel had a pimple near her hairline. Picture: Supplied

It had been surprising news to Rachel.

“I’ve never been someone to tan or sit in the sun. I’m known among my friends and family for being the sun smart one,” she said.

“Unfortunately, I did have a few bad burns as a teenager and that’s all that it takes.”

Thankfully, it wasn’t melanoma. Instead the Victorian woman was diagnosed with having basal cell carcinoma. It’s a type of skin cancer that often develops on the face. It usually appears as a white, waxy lump. It can also look like a brown, scaly patch.

“I was relieved it was not a melanoma, but also shocked to still have cancer. He told me I was young to get something like this. He also explained that Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer,” she said.

Rachel was prescribed Aldara, which is a topical chemotherapy treatment for her type of cancer. However, in six months, she may still need to have it physically removed.

It turned out to be cancer. Picture: Supplied

Even though the treatment has been non-invasive it hasn’t been easy.

“I’m not going to lie, it has had its challenges. I have a baby, so I had to be super careful not to get the cream on her during the night when I needed to wear it,” she said.

“Now that it’s scabbed up, it’s so hard to look after it with a baby and not get it knocked.”

She said from an aesthetic perspective it was also quite confronting to see something that was such a small spot turn into something so big.”

Rachel has shared her journey online. She’s documented going about her everyday life with what has been left from the treatment — including going to a wedding.

However, she has had an outpouring of support. Her key messaging while sharing her journey has been advocating for sun safety.

She's urging others to be sun safe. Picture: Supplied

“I’ve booked my first skin check because of your content,” one social media user said.

Another added: “I had a spot in the exact same spot on my forehead as you, it looked a lot like yours did before you got it check. I was putting off getting checked, your video made me make that appointment. It is superficial SCC.

“I am having Photodynamic treatment (soon). Thanks for sharing your journey. If I had left it for my next yearly check, next year it could be a much worse prognosis.”

“Love that you are sharing this whole process — you are bringing it to the forefront. Sending very best wishes,” another added.

One said: “I’ve booked a skin check because of your story; its so important that we understand how insignificant skin cancer can look.”

It’s been a week since Rachel stopped the Aldara treatment. She said the scab was still “pretty disgusting”.

However, it’s expected to heal in the next few weeks. Many who had been through the treatment reassured Rachel she’d be likely left with nothing more than a chickenpox scar.

Originally published as Young mum’s urgent warning to all Australians