Vanessa Ogle, 30, from the US, was surprised to discover a red pimple on her left temple. To treat the pimple, she cleaned her skin thoroughly and applied acne cream, according to the news site Insider (US).
Thanks to her vigilance, Vanessa Ogle was able to detect early that a small bump on her skin was cancerous.
Despite following a thorough skincare routine, the small pimple wouldn't go away. Therefore, she went to see a dermatologist for a check-up.
After examining the pimple, the dermatologist confirmed it looked like acne and reassured Ms. Ogle that there was no need to worry. But after months of treatment, the pimple still hadn't disappeared.
At this point, Ms. Ogle became worried and requested a biopsy to ensure it wasn't skin cancer. Her dermatologist agreed to this request. The biopsy results were expected in two weeks.
However, just two days later, she received a call from the hospital. Ms. Ogle knew something was wrong, and it turned out that the red bump was basal cell carcinoma.
According to the Skin Cancer Foundation (USA), basal cell carcinoma is one of the most common types of skin cancer. In the United States alone, more than 3 million cases of basal cell carcinoma are diagnosed each year.
Ms. Ogle has a family history of this type of cancer. However, when her relatives were diagnosed, they were all between the ages of 50 and 70. Therefore, Ms. Ogle's diagnosis at the young age of 30 was unexpected.
Just two weeks after receiving the biopsy results, Ms. Ogle underwent surgery to remove the cancerous tumor. The procedure took only a few hours. Because the tumor was small and detected early, she only received a 3cm long incision on her temple. After the surgery, doctors conducted further tests to ensure that all cancerous cells had been completely removed.
For the following weeks, she had to clean the wound twice a day. The doctor also advised her to apply ointment to protect the skin from infection. When the wound healed and the stitches were removed, Ms. Ogle noticed a scar. However, it faded over time.
Thanks to her vigilance regarding a strange bump, Ms. Ogle detected cancer early and received easy treatment. She only needed surgery and not chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Currently, she carefully protects her skin from the sun, especially her face. To prevent cancer recurrence, Ms. Ogle has to go for regular check-ups every 6-12 months, according to Insider (USA).
Source link
Comment (0)