I have been the fairest person in almost every photograph for my entire life (except when I went through quite an aggressive addiction to St Tropez tanning mousse in the Noughties). I have travelled the world only to find the only shady spots on Bondi Beach, in the Nevada desert or on a yacht in the Caribbean. I spent one Glastonbury festival huddled under an air mattress strapped to the roof of a shed to try and hide from the sun.

Noticing a small bump

I had it instilled in me from an early age by my mother that I had such fair skin that I should wear no lower than SPF 30, and she encouraged me to slather thick sunblock on the many moles I have on my arms and legs. I remember a beauty editor telling me when I was 21 that I should wear SPF religiously under my make-up every day no matter what the weather to avoid signs of ageing. It gave her such a luminous glow I followed suit and have done ever since. But when I noticed a small bump under my skin on my left cheek about five years ago, for some reason I didn’t panic. Skin cancer was moles which had changed shape, I thought, this little pearlescent patch of skin that measured less than 10mm didn’t look angry and it didn’t hurt a bit. I started to cover it with make-up and thought not much more of it. It started to grow, however, and I did begin to notice it looking more pronounced in photographs. (Photo: Catherine Falls Commercial/Getty/Moment RF)

I can't believe how ignorant I was

And yet I still didn’t make a doctor’s appointment. Perhaps I was in denial and couldn’t face the reality of what was happening, maybe because I was first pregnant and then dealing with postpartum depression and anxiety. None of that is a bona fide excuse, however, and I can’t believe now how ignorant I really was. Deciding not to do anything about this irregular patch of skin on my face was truly one of the most stupid things I have ever done. (Photo: Getty)

An unlikely push to seek help

Of all things, it was watching an episode of reality show The Kardashians which finally pushed me to seek help. Khloe Kardashian had been diagnosed with a melanoma when she had presented an irregular patch of skin on her cheek to her doctor. This unleashed a fear in me which I had been trying to ignore for years. I knew there was something wrong. And so, weeks before my 40th birthday, in 2023, I finally made an appointment with my GP who took a photo of the skin to send to the skin cancer clinic at the local hospital. The wait time was three months at least, I was told. By this point I was terribly worried. (Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty)

Basal cell carcinoma

The patch of skin was now very obviously raised from the rest of the skin on my cheek and, although it was still less than half the size of a five pence piece and had remained translucent, it was now almost double its original size. I made an appointment with a private dermatologist – within minutes of sitting in her office she had diagnosed me with a basal cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer. Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) are the most common type of skin cancer with approximately 184,280 new cases diagnosed annually between 2016 and 2018. Diagnosis is on the rise though with a 4 per cent increase in 2023. They can appear as a pearly or waxy bump, often with visible blood vessels or a flat, scaly, flesh-colored or brown lesion that doesn’t heal or keeps coming back. They originate in the basal cells, which are found in the lowest layer of the epidermis (the outer layer of the skin), and they typically develop due to long-term exposure to UV radiation from the sun or tanning beds. In my case it was more likely to be genetic because I have such fair skin, said my doctor. She could find very little UV damage on my skin at all (so at least I had done something right when it came to protecting my skin from the sun all these years). (Photo: Jeff Moore/PA)

Would have been a minor procedure earlier

Had I had this diagnosed three years before when I first noticed it, its removal would have been a very minor procedure. As it was, the BCC had burrowed into my skin deeply (BCC’s are commonly referred to as “rodent ulcers” because of their tendency to “eat” into your skin), meaning it would need a quite significant surgical excision to make sure they got all of the affected skin. A few weeks later, in January 2024, I went to the skin surgery. I’d had a mole removed from my arm before, and I presumed it would be a similarly quick and painless procedure. I couldn’t have been more wrong. It was an extremely invasive, and incredibly painful operation which left my face swollen and bruised for weeks.

Scar still visible 18 months on

I hadn’t thought much about the scarring prior to the procedure, and it was only afterwards when I saw my face in the mirror with its five centimetre long line of red, angry stitches that I knew this had been a life changing procedure when it came to my self confidence. The wound became infected for weeks, making the scar more prominent than it should have been. Even now, 18 months on, the deep scar is clearly visible, and I have a huge patch of burst blood vessels where the incision was made. I am looking into having treatment using a pulse dye laser to reduce the redness, as I feel so insecure about how unsightly it is.

Number of cases rising

Approximately 17,500 new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed each year in the UK, but the number of cases is expected to rise by 25 per cent by the end of this year. There are reasons for this: use of tanning beds, not using enough sun protection or avoiding sun exposure during peak hours (11am to 3pm). Being vigilant is vital: not ignoring any irregularities, like I did, and getting them checked as soon as you notice them is so important. Dr Kate Gomes is an NHS GP and owner of The Lili Skin Clinic in Frome, Somerset. “As a GP I strongly encourage everyone to regularly check their skin, and see their own GP promptly should you be concerned,” she says. “You may put this off through fear of it being something worrying or worried you are wasting time. We are very happy to review all skin lesions.” She adds that a good way to monitor anything you’re not sure about is to take photos at regular intervals so you can be certain of any changes in appearance. (Photo: Carl Court/Getty)

Importance of sun protection

I have now been advised to wear factor 100 on my face for the rest of my life, as I have a high chance of skin cancer recurrence. I have learned that something very small and seemingly insignificant can be potentially deadly, and I will never gamble with my skin, or my health, ever again. (Photo: Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty)