Woman, 26, had her entire lower eyelid removed after mistaking deadly cancer for blocked pore
A young woman who mistook cancer for a 'blocked pore' had to have her whole lower eyelid removed after receiving a diagnosis on the spot.
Jessica Zbinden-Webster was just 26 when she received the devastating news, and is now campaigning to scrap the tax on SPF products in the UK.
Joining hosts Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley on ITV's This Morning, on the May 19 episode, Jessica revealed that she had always had problems with her skin. Therefore, she didn't panic when she saw the blemish - which later turned into a bump.
However, alarm bells began to ring when Jessica noticed her bump was badly bleeding in the office one day. Jessica booked a doctors appointment the next day, and was immediately given a skin cancer diagnosis.
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"You've got skin cancer, and we need to urgently refer you for treatment," she was told.
Jessica's skin cancer was on her lower eyelid, which is an extremely sensitive area. Due to this, doctors had to remove the woman's lower eyelid with a scalpel while she was awake.
"They took away the skin that was affected by the tumor, and they also took a margin of skin around it, just to be super sure that the cancer was gone," she told the ITV hosts.
The next day, Jessica went through skin graft surgery, in which skin was taken from her lower arm to cover the hole the tumor had left.
After a hard few months of recovery, Jessica was on the mend, although she revealed her eye sight had been affected due to the fact that the skin graft contracted, dragging her eye down slightly.
Jessica went through a number of laser surgeries and said it had taken four years to get her eye looking like what it does now.
The 26-year-old was shocked with her diagnosis, as she 'didn't fit any of the stereotypes' for skin cancer, and didn't use sun beds.
During her treatment, Jessica was told by doctors that she should be wearing high factor sunscreen everyday - as should everyone.
While buying SPF regularly, Jessica noticed how expensive the products were, before realizing that sunscreen was taxed as a cosmetic product in the UK. In the UK, the standard tax rate on most goods is 20 percent.
"How do people afford to stay safe in the sun?" she questioned. Despite having skin cancer, Jessica doesn't qualify for free sunscreen on prescription.
In response, the UK government told This Morning: "High factor sunscreen is available on the NHS prescription list for certain conditions and provided VAT free when dispensed by a pharmacist to these patients."
According to the American Cancer Society, skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the US. It's estimated that around 112,000 new melanomas will be diagnosed (about 65,400 in men and 46,600 in women) in the country this year.
Dr Sarah, who joined Jessica on the show, warned that everyone needed to be protecting themselves from the sun and wearing SPF daily.
For the average body, the doctor recommends applying around 'six to eight tea spoons'. She advises that one teaspoon is two strips of sunscreen on two fingers. She also advises reapplying it every two hours, more if you're sweating or swimming.
What are the signs of skin cancer?
The Cleveland Clinic warns that the ‘most common warning sign of skin cancer is a change on your skin’. This can include:
- A new mole or a mole that changes in size, shape or color, or bleeds
- A pearly or waxy bump appearing on your face, ears or neck
- A flat, pink/red- or brown-colored patch or bump
- Scar looking areas on your skin
- Sores that look crusty, have a depression in the middle or bleed often
- A wound or sore that won’t heal, or that heals but returns
- A rough, scaly lesion that might itch, bleed and become crusty.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the American Cancer Society on 1-800-227-2345 or via their live chat feature, available 24/7 every day of the year.
Topics: This Morning, ITV, Health, UK News, Cancer
Kiesha Dosanjh