A young Australian woman’s seemingly harmless pimple on the forehead was skin cancer diagnosed two years later. For Rachel Olivia, who initially dismissed the red spot near her hairline as an ordinary blemish, it was a shock when she was told she had basal cell carcinoma—caused by damage to the DNA of basal cells in the skin's epidermis, or top layer.

“It felt as though it had appeared overnight,” said the 32-year-old in an interview with news.com.au, recounting her disbelief when the pimple, which never healed, turned out to be cancer.

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

Despite trying out various ways to get the pimple treated, she failed and then sought a second opinion. And so, after a biopsy was conducted, Rachel was delivered the shocking news. “I’ve never been someone to tan or sit in the sun. I’m known among my friends and family for being the smart one,” she said.

She was then prescribed a topical chemotherapy cream to treat the carcinoma. However, she faced a lot of issues in her journey to recovery. The treatment led the affected area to scab heavily, making day-to-day activities extremely challenging for her.

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

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

A few signs of basal cell carcinoma include:

• Lumps, bumps, pimples, scabs, or scaly lesions
• The lump may be slightly see-through
• The lump may be shinier 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 to your DNA, which usually happen after your skin has been exposed too much to ultraviolet or UV rays from sunlight or tanning beds. Your genes give your body’s DNA instructions to make 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 won’t have the instructions to make new cells as it should.

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

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