A woman who mistakenly believed she had a pimple on her nose was shocked when she was diagnosed with skin cancer.
Michelle Davis, 52, spotted the red bump in April last year but was not too worried until it became “really sore”.
When she squeezed it and it wouldn’t stop bleeding she went to see her doctor who immediately suspected it was cancer.
Following a biopsy diagnosed Michelle with basal cell carcinoma – a common form of skin cancer - and underwent surgery to cut the cancer out
Now Michelle is recovering from the surgery but doctors are hopeful she will not need further treatment.
Michelle, an account manager, from Orewa, New Zealand, said: “I was in shock when I found out. I had never heard of basal cell carcinoma.”
“It was really hard like a volcano under the skin. I went walking with my girlfriend and it went purple and she pointed it out, I said it’s just a pimple. I was in denial.”
“I thought 'what am I doing getting a pimple at 52'. It will go away – I kept telling myself.
“It would flare up and go back down.
“I remember squeezing it and nothing coming out. Then it bled and bled and bled – for like a week.”
Michelle went to her doctor in February 2023 and was told it looked like skin cancer.
A biopsy confirmed she had basal cell carcinoma and she was told she would need surgery to remove the cancer.
Michelle underwent a nasal flap reconstruction at Ormiston hospital, Auckland, in April 2023 to remove the cancer and pull the nose skin over the hole.
Michelle will be monitored once a year as she said she can be more prone to skin cancer now she has had it once.
She said: “They cut up my nose in a zig zag. They cut out a crater. There was a hole in the end of my nose.
“They then bring the skin down to cover it.”
She said: “It’s still healing.
“My nostrils are different shapes because they stretched the skin. The scar tissue is hard. The nerves are numb.
“Some people end up losing their nose so thank goodness. At first I thought I’m 52 and single, now I’m going to have this hideous nose.
“It’s been quite empowering, it’s only skin deep.
“It’s what’s on the inside that counts.”
