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Woman, 21, shocked when tiny mole turns into deadly skin cancer – despite always using suncream
Megan DiDio had always had the mole on her cheek but it was only after dad noticed it had changed colour that she decided to get it checked out
RULE 101 of skincare is making sure that you get any changes to your skin checked out by a doctor.
But when 21-year-old Megan DiDio went to a dermatologist to ask about a mole which had changed colour, they sent her away - claiming that it "looked fine".
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Megan, however, wasn't convinced and pushed for a biopsy to be performed.
Five weeks later, after she'd moved from her hometown in California to Chicago, her doctor rang to break the devastating news that she had skin cancer.
She told that she doesn't have any family history of melanoma and grew up wearing suncream.
"I definitely wore sunscreen the majority of the tie I was outside," she said.
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"Being that I am pale and have red hair, my parents were always good about keeping me lathered up, but I did have burns as a kid growing up."
She didn't think anything of the mole on her cheek until her dad said he thought it looked a bit unusual and pushed her to get it checked out.
But the dermatologist thought it looked fine and it was only after Megan pushed that they got ordered a biopsy.
Just over a month later, she learned that her mole was cancerous and that she'd need facial reconstructive surgery.
Symptoms of skin cancer
Melanoma:
The most common sign is a new mole or a change in an existing mole.
In most cases, melanomas have an irregular shape and are more than one colour. The mole may also be larger than normal and can sometimes be itchy or bleed. Look out for a mole which changes progressively in shape, size and/or colour.
The ABCDE checklist should help you tell the difference between a normal mole and a melanoma:
- Asymmetrical – melanomas have 2 very different halves and are an irregular shape
- Border – melanomas have a notched or ragged border
- Colours – melanomas will be a mix of 2 or more colours
- Diameter – most melanomas are larger than 6mm (1/4 inch) in diameter
- Enlargement or elevation – a mole that changes size over time is more likely to be a melanoma
Source:
"I got the news and it was awful, to say the least," Megan told the programme.
"I had just graduated from college, moved to a new city - this was supposed to be my time to kind of start fresh and start my real life...and to know that this was a serious, life-threatening issue that I now had to deal with as a young adult was terrible."
She had her mole removed in September, which has left her with a scar.
But she's now cancer-free and she's speaking out to raise awareness.
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"I just want people to know you need to get checked if you have any suspicions that something is changing on your body," she told Good Morning America.
"It was something as slight as the mole I had for my entire life changing colour. But that's happening to people all the time.
Now 22, she's sharing her story in a bid to show others how important it is to trust their gut instincts and push for further tests if you think something is up.
Cancer Research UK says that 86 per cent of melanoma cancer cases are preventable, and 90 per cent of them are survivable.
The around 42 people are diagnosed with the disease every day - and that's growing.
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MORE ON SKIN CANCER
Melanomas are less common than non-melanoma skin cancers but they're one of the most dangerous forms of skin cancer.
Although Megan's cancer revolved around a mole, 70 per cent of melanoma cases aren't associated with existing moles.
So you simply need to be on the lookout for any changes to your skin.
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