Young people can get skin cancer too
Sabrina came to Skin Cancer Clinic after many years with a scaly sore above her lip. She had been living with it herself for quite a few years. She was treated for eczema, and there was no suspicion of skin cancer.
“When I first went to my doctor, it was with a dry, reddish patch on the skin above my lip. I was treated with a cream for eczema and rashes.”
Sabrina didn't think much of it at the time. But after a long period with no improvement, and after trying different hormone and steroid creams, she started to become suspicious for the first time.
“I'm a trained nurse myself, so I know a little about the symptoms of non-melanoma skin cancer. So I asked for a biopsy to find out whether it could be skin cancer.”
Undetected skin cancer spreads over time
Sabrina had a biopsy in February 2018, which showed that she did not have skin cancer. By then, three and a half years had passed since she first noticed the dry patch. Unfortunately, it turned out that there had been a mistake in the examination of the biopsy. As a result, the right treatment was not started, and the skin cancer was allowed to spread into the surrounding tissue.
What started as a dry patch now developed: the area got bigger, scabs appeared, and it sometimes bled. So Sabrina went to see a dermatologist once again, and this time there was no doubt. Even before Sabrina had stepped into the consultation room, the dermatologist was sure it was skin cancer. A new biopsy was taken straight away, and unfortunately the result was positive: Sabrina had non-melanoma skin cancer, also known as basal cell carcinoma.
So Sabrina contacted Skin Cancer Clinic in early summer 2019, on the recommendation of her dermatologist, who had heard very positive things about the clinic.
“I was both shocked and relieved when I finally got confirmation of what I had believed myself for the five years leading up to the diagnosis. Now I could finally have it removed, but of course I was also worried about how much the skin cancer had spread.”
Unfortunately, it turned out that over the many years the skin cancer had been allowed to spread quite a bit. There was skin cancer in an area of 2.7 × 3.8 cm. It was therefore necessary to carry out a reconstruction on one side of the face, with stitches all the way up to the eyelid and along the edge of Sabrina's lip, where basal cell carcinoma was found. Mohs surgery succeeded in removing all the cancer cells, but it was a major operation.
You can get skin cancer in your 30s
The five years that passed before Sabrina received treatment contributed to it becoming a bigger operation – just over 50 stitches in total before the skin cancer was removed and the operation was complete.
“Of course, I'm not happy that it had to end with such a big operation. But I'm super glad that I chose Skin Cancer Clinic. The warmth and professionalism I was met with is indescribable. It was hard to see myself in the mirror after the operation, but now, two months later, it already looks much better.”
Sabrina has since reflected on her experience, and on the fact that her young age may have played a part in the diagnosis being made so late.
“When you get skin changes like the ones I had at the age of 30, I definitely think my age played a part in the diagnosis being made so late. I had to put my foot down myself to get the first biopsy, and afterwards nobody doubted that a mistake could have been made. So for me it's important that others know that even if you're under 50, you can get non-melanoma skin cancer.”
