A mom mistook cancer on her face for a ‘blocked pore’ — and only went to get it tested after watching a TikTok warning about skin cancer.
Lauren Smyth, 29, used sunbeds in her early twenties but hadn’t touched them in years.
So she didn’t think much of a tiny pimple which developed on the top of her nose.
Dermatologists had even tried to unclog the ‘blocked pore’ during facials.
But the mom-of-two from Peakhurst, Sydney, Australia, was scrolling through TikTok last month when a video made her stop.
It shows a young woman diagnosed with aggressive skin cancer after finding a spot just like Lauren’s.
A biopsy revealed the stay-at-home mum had squamous cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer.
While slow growing, she was informed the cancer would spread – and is now on a course of topical chemotherapy.
She wants to warn others about the importance of sun safety — and encourage people to get any suspicious spots checked out.
Lauren, mom to Jesse, three, and Marcie, one, said: “Sunbeds aren’t worth your life — I haven’t touched one in years but once the damage is done, it’s done.”
Lauren said she had never been a serial sunbed user, but used to frequent the tanning salon in the summer in her early twenties.
She said: “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 said the spot on her nose developed around four years ago, which she only noticed after scrolling back through photos.
Because it was so tiny, and wasn’t dark like a mole, she never paid it much attention.
She went to get it — and other moles and spots — checked out after seeing the video in August.
During her appointment she was asked whether she had previously used sunbeds.
She said: “I was told if I had used tanning beds more than ten 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 after her biopsy, the doctor revealed it was cancerous and her options were to have a six-week round of topical chemotherapy, or surgery.
Because the surgery would involve cutting away the entire piece of skin on her face, plus margins, she was advised to try chemo first.
She’s now two weeks into the treatment.
She said: “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.”
