A woman has shared her battle with skin cancer, twice, as a small pimple on her nose turned out to be skin cancer.
When Kerry-Ann Buckell noticed a small red mark on the tip of her nose, she assumed it was a simple poppable spot.
But over the next three weeks, the pus-filled lump kept returning.
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The 35-year-old, who started to fear the worst, looked it up on Google, and the words she was terrified to see came up – skin cancer.
Doctors scraped off the spot and confirmed her diagnosis, though they said that it was benign and hadn’t spread.
But a few years later, it returned – this time, with vengeance.
“I was absolutely terrified to say the least,” the celebrity hairstylist and extension specialist, from Surrey, told Need To Know.
“I convinced myself as much as I could that it was just a whitehead; both times.
“The thought of cancer was too much to take.
“My thoughts turned immediately to my young son.
“I need to be OK – and survive – for him, especially as I’m a single mum.
“The wait for the results the first time was agonising.
“But I was so relieved when they told me it hadn’t spread.
“I truly thought that was the end of this horrifying ordeal.
“Until I noticed another spot, this time double the size, that wouldn’t budge.
“As much as I tried to stay in denial, I knew what it was.
“I just didn’t want to accept the fact that, this time, it could be a matter of life or death.”
Kerry, who works with the likes of Lizzie Cundy, Christine McGuinness and Selling Sunset USA star Christine Quinn, says she’s always ensured to be careful while out in the sun.
Opting for the highest SPF sunscreen on holiday and wearing hats when outside, though, wasn’t enough to protect her from its damaging rays.
She said, “When I saw the dermatologist, they told me it needed to come out now and be sent off to the labs right away.
“Terrified, I asked why – and that’s when they said it’s likely cancerous cells.
“It was scraped off and I was left with a big gaping black hole on my face, which luckily, healed up quite quickly.
“I’ve never been a sun worshipper.
“I had read about people who loved being in the sun who had gotten skin cancer, but that wasn’t me, so it left me very confused when they confirmed my diagnosis.
“And it started as a simple spot that seemed extremely rare.
“I became much more skin-conscious, though that didn’t seem to help me.”
In November 2024, she was diagnosed once again with basal cell carcinoma and had the spot removed, leaving an even bigger hole.
Luckily, it was benign, and she hasn’t had any other worrying pimples pop up since.
Kerry has now taken a course in trichology, the study of the hair and scalp, to help further her knowledge on what signs to look out for.
She also checks her clients’ scalps and alerts them to anything they should get checked out.
She added, “Never did I think skin cancer would appear as a regular-looking spot.
“I’m doing everything I can to encourage skin safety.
“More than anything, though, I’m thankful that I’m still here to tell the tale and raise awareness – and be around to see my little boy grow up.
“Be careful when out in the sunshine; it might leave you looking glowing at first, but it could result in your life being on the line.”
