Skin cancer: ‘Pimple’ leads to Aussie mum’s scary diagnosis

A mum has urged Aussies to stay up to date with their skin checks after a “pimple” led to a harrowing diagnosis.

A mum has urged Aussies to stay up to date with their skin checks after a “pimple” led to a cancer diagnosis.

A mum has urged Aussies to stay up to date with their skin checks after what she thought was a pimple led to a harrowing diagnosis.

Kate Bourke, from Queensland, said she had noticed the unassuming spot appear on-and-off for two years but thought nothing of it.

It wasn’t until a separate health scare led her to get the pimple-like mark checked that Ms Bourke discovered she had squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

Kate Bourke is urging Aussies to get their skin checked. Picture: Facebook.

What she thought was a pimple turned out to be skin cancer. Picture: Facebook.

The 34-year-old took to social media to urge Aussies to get their skin checked.

“I thought I would just remind everyone that something you may think is just a pimple may not be,” she wrote.

“Please get your skin checked before you regret it, and please see a skin cancer specialist not a GP.”

Alarmingly, multiple commenters said they weren’t aware such a seemingly harmless spot could be so sinister.

“Wow thank you for sharing this. I have one almost in this exact spot that looks identical and also comes and goes … I’ll definitely be getting it checked asap,” one person wrote.

“Thanks for sharing. I didn’t know it can look like that (which seems quite harmless). This is good to know,” added another.

Squamous cell carcinoma often looks like an unassuming spot.

It’s estimated that more than 1500 people have been diagnosed with non-melanoma skin cancer in Australia this year.

SCC accounts for about 30 per cent of non-melanoma skin cancers, according to the Cancer Council. The other 30 per cent are basal cell carcinoma (BCC), which Ms Bourke also had removed from her face.

“If I hadn’t had the BCC on my nose removed previously, I would not have ever even considered the pimple on my cheek could have been skin cancer,” she told Yahoo.

Ms Bourke explained that, as a redhead, she tends to “burn very easily” and is very sun-safe.

“If I’m going to go do something outdoors like mow or go for a walk, I always put sunscreen on. I tend to avoid doing anything outdoors for very long because I know I’m going to burn,” she said.

It’s estimated that more than 1500 people have been diagnosed with non-melanoma skin cancer in Australia this year.

Their average age at diagnosis was 76 years old, but the cancer can affect people of all ages. While most non-melanoma skin cancers are not life-threatening, they can cause complications and so it is important to have them checked and treated.

Signs and symptoms of SCC:

• Thickened red, scaly spot
• Rapidly growing bump
• Looks like a sore that has not healed
• May be tender to touch

BCC, on the other hand, often has no symptoms and tends to grow more slowly without spreading to other parts of the body.