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A tan addict who fled sunscreen had to be cut off after a tiny pimple turned out to be a skin cancer.
Laure Seguy, 35, thought she had just scratched her nose, but when the brand was still there, months later, she began to worry.
The mother of the child said that she would bleed repeatedly, and that she would soften after exposing her skin to the sun's rays.
Finally, in October of last year, Laure decided to consult her general practitioner – but she was told that it was probably an infection and she was sent back with an antibacterial cream.
When that did not work out, her doctor advised to consult a dermatologist who said that the next available appointment was in February.
Laure, who lives in Toulouse, France, said: "I told them I had a stain on my nose that was bleeding from time to time and that had been there for five months.
"I remember hearing a blank at the other end of the line before the dermatologist said," OK, we have an appointment in 15 days. "
"It was at that time that I knew it was really serious."
Seldom worn sunscreen
Adoring the sun since childhood, Laure, with naturally dark skin, rarely thought of wearing sunscreen on vacation or during hot summers.
She said, "I do not have freckles and I have a pretty tanned skin anyway, so I never really burn, only a little bit sometimes in the early summer. "
But a pimple biopsy in November revealed that she had basal cell carcinoma – a form of skin cancer with no slow-growing melanoma.
She was told that she would need surgery to remove the cancer cells, but Laure was undergoing yoga teacher training in Paris.
She decided to wait until the following May for her surgery.
Laure, who has a three-year-old daughter named Ayla-Rose, said: "I was obviously a little worried about leaving him so long, but the doctors said that because the growth was very slow, he was OK to wait. "
Under the knife
Last month, she had the first of three procedures, cutting 11 mm in diameter, removing both cancer cells and healthy cells, to make sure all the carcinoma had disappeared.
A week later, after analyzing the cells, the surgeons were convinced that Laure was cancer free.
A week later, a second two-hour surgery then consisted of cutting a piece of skin from the hairline and pulling it down, fixing it to a hole in his nose, called a reconstructive skin flap.
Waking up groggy from the general anesthesia, Laure remembered her shock seeing her new face, which seemed to her "quite weird".
Conscious of her strange appearance, she was reluctant to leave the house in the next few weeks as the transferred skin knit in her face.
Symptoms of skin cancer
Skin cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers in the world.
Cancers other than melanoma are more common than melanomas, with 100,000 new cases being diagnosed each year in the UK.
The first sign of skin cancer other than melanoma is usually the appearance of a faded block or patch on the skin that persists several weeks later and evolves slowly over months or even years.
Melanomas, on the other hand, are often characterized by a mole.
There are two common types of non-melanoma:
Basal cell carcinoma (accounts for 75% of skin cancers): usually comes in the form of a small shiny pink or pearly white mass with a waxy appearance. It can also look like a red and scaly patch. There are sometimes brown or black pigments in the patch. The size grows slowly and can become crusted, bleed or become a painless ulcer.
Squamous cell carcinoma (represents the remaining 20%): is a firm, pink mass with a rough or crusted surface. There can be a lot of scale on the surface and sometimes even a bristly horn protruding from the surface. The lump is often touch sensitive, bleeds easily and can develop into an ulcer.
Melanoma
The most common sign is a new mole or a change in an existing mole. In most cases, melanomas have an irregular shape and come in many colors.
The mole can also be bigger than normal and sometimes itch or bleed. Look for a mole that gradually changes shape, size and / or color.
The ABCDE Checklist should help you tell the difference between a normal mole and a melanoma:
Asymmetric – melanomas have 2 very different halves and are irregularly shaped
Border – melanomas have a notched or shredded border
Colors – Melanomas will be a mixture of 2 or more colors
Diameter – most melanomas have a diameter greater than 6 mm (1/4 inch)
Widening or elevation – a mole that changes size over time is more likely to be a melanoma
Then came his last surgery, June 3, to remove the flap that was feeding the skin graft, keeping it connected to the bloodstream through a vein running from the forehead to the nose.
She said that she will never forget the first time that she left home a week after the second operation.
Laure said, "I felt really uncomfortable because for the first time in my life, I have experienced experiencing people on the street.
"Foreigners came to ask me if I had a terrible accident, because my face was so mutilated, I looked like a boxer who had been beaten in the ring."
Traumatic experience
Fortunately, her appearance improved a lot, but Laure explained that her traumatic experience allowed her to completely re-evaluate her attitude in the sun.
She said, "My face was swollen for a little while after my last surgery, but it gradually became normal again.
"My new nose is certainly much rounder than my old one at the forefront and the texture and color are also different.
My experience has completely changed my attitude towards the sun, for which I will have much more respect in the future.
Laure Seguy
"I also have scars and a lump on the forehead where they have lowered the skin flap.
"It does not look like my old nose, which was thin and narrow enough, but it's much better than when I had a flap of skin that covered my face.
"Nevertheless, my experience has completely changed my attitude towards the sun, for which I will much more respect in the future."
Laure's disaster also reaffirmed what really matters to her. She is now considering changing careers so she can spend more time with the husband and daughter that she loves.
She said: "It reaffirmed the fact that life is short and that currently, in my work as a yoga teacher, I usually work in the evening, which means that I do not see much of my family.
"So now, I want to change lanes and find a job that allows me to see my loved ones, because that's all that matters."
Dr. Bav Shergill, consulting dermatologist and spokesperson for the British Skin Foundation, warned of the danger of exposing unprotected skin to the sun.
He said: "Basal cell carcinoma is a cancer of the skin other than melanoma and is the most common type of skin cancer and accounts for more than 80% of all skin cancers in the UK.
"The most common cause is too much exposure to UV rays or sun loungers.CBCC can occur anywhere on the body, but it is more common on areas often exposed to the sun.
"It's always important to protect your skin from the harmful UV rays of the sun – you can prevent up to four out of five cases of skin cancer."
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