A young Australian woman had a harmless-looking pimple on her forehead skin cancer The diagnosis came two years later. For Rachel Olivia, who initially dismissed the red spots near her hairline as a normal blemish, it was a shock when she was told she had basal cell carcinoma – a basal cell tumor in the epidermis or upper layer of the skin. Caused by damage to the DNA of cells.

“It felt like it just appeared overnight,” the 32-year-old said in an interview with news.com.au. He recalled his disbelief when the pimple, which never healed, turned out to be cancerous.

Rachel’s rash didn’t heal at all

Initially, Rachel said that doctors did not take it seriously and told her that it was a scar from a pimple because she had “pressed it too hard” and that was why it was taking time to heal. However, as time passed, she was unable to see any progress.

Despite trying several methods to get the pimple treated, she was unsuccessful and then sought a second opinion. And so, after the biopsy was done, Rachel was given shocking news. “I have never been one to bask in the sun or bask in the sun. I am known for being smart among my friends and family,” she said.

She was then given a topical chemotherapy cream to treat the carcinoma. However, he faced many problems in his journey to recovery. The treatment caused heavy scabbing over the affected area, making day-to-day activities extremely challenging for him.

What Is Basal Cell Carcinoma,

Basal cell carcinoma forms in the basal cells of the outer layer of your skin. Even though it looks like a small, sometimes shiny lump or scaly flat patch on your skin, it grows slowly over time before turning into full-blown cancer.

According to doctors, basal cells are responsible for creating new skin cells by dividing and copying themselves. In that process, old skin cells begin to be pushed to the surface of your epidermis, where they die and leave your body. Experts say basal cell carcinoma can affect anyone, but it is more common in men, who are often 50 and older. Those who have had BCC once have a higher risk of developing another nonmelanoma skin cancer in the future.

Signs and symptoms of basal cell carcinoma

Some symptoms of basal cell carcinoma include:

• Lumps, bumps, pimples, scabs, or scaly lesions
• a slight lump may be visible
• The lump may be brighter than the skin around it
• The lump may grow slowly over time
• The lump may be itchy and painful
• The lump may form an ulcer and bleed

What causes basal cell carcinoma?

Experts say BCC is mostly caused by changes in your DNA, which usually happen when your skin is exposed to too much ultraviolet or UV rays from sunlight or tanning beds. Your genes instruct your body’s DNA to create new cells to replace cells that reach the end of their lifespan by copying and replicating themselves. If a mutation affects one of your genes, your DNA will not contain the instructions for making new cells as it should.

A rare hereditary condition called basal cell nevus syndrome, also known as Gorlin syndrome, causes BCC to appear in childhood.

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