Published Nov 28, 2024

Dad of Two, 50, Grew Beard Over ‘Ingrown Hair’ — It Turned Out To Skin Cancer

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Understanding Basal Cell Carcinoma & Mohs Surgery

Simon Heaton, a 50-year-old dad of two, decided to grow a beard over something he dismissed as an “ingrown hair or pimple,” but he later discovered he had basal cell carcinoma (BCC), a highly curable but still serious skin cancer.
It is important to treat BCC early because, while it is highly curable and typically slow-growing, lesions can grow and become disfiguring and dangerous.
When someone undergoes surgery for BCC, it typically involves Mohs surgery. This procedure is microscopically controlled, and thin layers of skin cancer tissue are removed layer by layer until the surgeon reaches clear tissue.
BCC can often be overlooked as a pimple or skin tag. The lesions can look like open sores, red patches, pink growths, shiny bumps, scars or growths with slightly elevated, rolled edges and/or a central indentation. These spots may ooze, crust, itch or bleed.
Mohs surgery is a microscopically-controlled surgery where surgeons remove thin layers of skin tissue until they reach clear tissue without cancer.

Simon Heaton, a 50-year-old dad of two from Stalybridge, England, is urging other men to be proactive when it comes to their health after something he initially dismissed as an “ingrown hair or a pimple” turned out to be basal cell carcinoma (BCC).

Heaton first discovered something tiny on his left cheek, which disappeared and returned over a matter of weeks, only to later increase in size. It wasn’t until the growth reached nearly .5 centimeters in diameter that he decided to get it checked.

What You Need to Know About Basal Cell Carcinoma

Simon Heaton had the cancerous growth on his face surgically removed (Photo Credit: Kennedy News & Media via The Bolton News)

In an effort to prevent other men from ignoring potential signs of skin cancer, Heaton shared his story with Kennedy News and Media, according to The Bolton News, explaining, “I noticed a little pinprick-sized pimple on my face three years ago.

“I thought it was a spot, left it, it disappeared, then a couple of weeks later it came back a little bit bigger. It wasn’t sore but I knew it was there and it was annoying me.”

After admitting he often takes good care of his appearance, describing himself as “a smartly dressed guy,” he continued, “I thought it was an ingrown hair so I had a little bit of a mess with it.

“I decided to grow a beard to cover it up, I didn’t think anything of it.”

However, the “little pimple” drastically changed in size, up to nearly .5 centimeters. He also noted a “little scab” later appeared, that would continuously “weep and fall off” over the course of eight weeks.

“I just lived with it, with the beard no-one could see it,” he said.

Thankfully, Heaton, who admitted to used sunbeds a lot in his 20s and not wearing sunscreen, was pushed by his mom to get the unusual spot on his face checked.

Heaton, who works as a soccer manager for the Abbey Hey Football Club, explained further, “I didn’t think it would be cancer, it was a bit of a shock when he said it could be. Within five minutes of seeing the [doctor] he said it looked like basal cell carcinoma and referred me to a dermatologist who looked at it again [and said the same].

“Rather than take a biopsy they just decided to take it out. I love the sun and I love my holidays and that’s what they put it down to – sun exposure.”

He later got the spot on his skin removed via a three-hour surgery, which left him with a three-inch scar.

Heaton, who is set to get his biopsy results at his six-week followup to see if he needs additional treatment, concluded, “I now wear a factor 50 moisturizing cream every day. My advice to blokes who think it’s just a spot or ingrowing hair would be to 100 percent go to your doctors and get it checked out.

“I think it’s a male stubbornness, [the attitude is] ‘it’ll be alright, it’ll be gone in a week.’ It’s better to be safe than sorry, they can catch things early and stop them from happening again.”

Testicular cancer survivor Todd Rosenbluth urges men to visit their doctor regularly

Understanding Skin Cancer

Skin cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal skin cells. This growth usually happens when un-repaired DNA damage prompts mutations, or genetic defects, that lead the skin cells to multiply fast and form malignant tumors. Although this may sound scary, education is the first step to prevention, and you’re taking that step right now.

Skin cancers are majorly categorized into three types:

Melanoma: Though less common, it’s the deadliest of them all.
Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC): Quite common and has the ability to spread distantly if not treated. The vast majority are low risk but some can be aggressive and require multiple treatment.
Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC): The most common type, but luckily the least likely to spread.

Basal cell carcinoma, or BCC, is the most common form of skin cancer. It develops when basal cells, one of three main types of cells in the top layer of the skin, grow abnormally or uncontrollably. In the United States, an estimated 3.6 million cases of BCC are diagnosed each year.

BCC is unique because it tends to grow slowly. This means it generally causes minimal damage and is usually curable when caught and treated early. Still, untreated BCC lesions can grow and become disfiguring and dangerous.

“Untreated BCCs can become locally invasive, grow wide and deep into the skin and destroy skin, tissue and bone,” the Skin Cancer Foundation website says. “The longer you wait to get treatment, the more likely it is that the BCC will recur, sometimes repeatedly.

“There are some highly unusual, aggressive cases when BCC spreads to other parts of the body. In even rarer instances, this type of BCC can become life-threatening.”

Another skin cancer that is much less common, but worth mentioning is Merkel Cell Carcinoma, which is rare and mostly occurs in older adults (average age 74-76). It can be aggressive locally and spread distantly.

For most skin cancers you can take steps to reduce your risk and prevent hem. Prevention as well as early detection and treatment are your best chances at a good outcome.

Top 5 Ways to Protect Your Skin From Skin Cancer:

Recognizing the Early Signs

Let’s talk about the first signs of skin cancer. Your skin is your body’s largest organ, so paying attention to changes is vital. Essentially, skin cancer shows up as a persistent change in your sample of skin. The changes may vary according to the type of skin cancer, but here are some general things to look out for:

New growths: Any new growth or sore that doesn’t heal should be an alarm for you. Even a small change is worth having a look at.
Changes in existing moles: Moles are usual suspects in skin cancer cases. Watch out for moles that start to evolve or change in color, size, or shape. Or if the moles like different from other spots on your skin this can also be a sign to get checked by a health care professional.
Itchy or painful lesions: Skin areas that are constantly itchy, hurting, scaly, or bleeding could be early signs of skin cancer.
Spots with irregular borders: If you see spots with uneven borders or color, take note.
Unusual size or shape: Any spot greater than 6 millimeters (roughly the size of a pencil eraser) is suspicious. Also, be mindful of any sore that doesn’t heal.

Remember, you know your body best. If you notice something out of the ordinary, don’t shrug it off – get it checked out. The early detection of skin cancer significantly increases the chances of successful treatment. Plus, it’s always better to be on the safe side.

Also, don’t forget – although we’ve listed some common signs, skin cancer can sometimes behave differently. If something feels off, trust your instincts and consult your doctor. A regular skin examination by a dermatologist can also be a great step towards prevention.

What is Mohs surgery?

The type of surgery Heaton underwent is called Mohs surgery—a microscopically-controlled surgery where thin layers of tissue (typically, skin cancer tissue) are removed until the surgeon reaches clear tissue.

“You’re able to remove a very conservative margin around the cancer and study it in essentially real-time,” Dr. Sumaira Aasi, Director of Mohs and Dermatologic Surgery at Stanford, told SurvivorNet in a previous conversation.

If, when the surgeon examines the tissue under the microscope, cancer is found, the surgeon goes back and removes some more tissue.

Dr. Sumaira Aasi, Director of Mohs and Dermatologic Surgery at Stanford, explains what Mohs surgery is.

The idea is that by making the tiniest cuts and evaluating them microscopically, the surgeon knows for certain that all the cancer is out when the last piece of tissue proves to be clear. It is often done as an outpatient procedure with local anesthetic.

“The Mohs surgeon will take a conservative cut circumferentially around the cancer where we’re able to preserve healthy tissue,” Dr. Aasi explained. “We’re able to process the tissue and look at the cancerous tissue and know where there are still tumor cells persisting.

Dr. Aasi continued, “Because as the Mohs surgeon removes the cancer, it’s mapped out, and we can go back specifically to the areas where we see cancer cells and take, again, another conservative margin or amount of tissue.”

Leading Experts Urge Us to Be Proactive

“If I had any advice for you following a cancer diagnosis, it would be, first, to seek out multiple opinions as to the best care,” National Cancer Institute Chief of Surgery Steven Rosenberg told us in a previous interview, “because finding a doctor who is up to the latest of information is important.”

As we highlight in several areas of SurvivorNet, highly respected doctors sometimes disagree on the right course of treatment, and advances in genetics and immunotherapy are creating new options. Also, in some instances the specific course of treatment is not clear cut. That’s even more reason why understanding the potential approaches to your disease is crucial.

At the National Cancer Institute, there is a patient referral service that will “guide patients to the right group depending on their disease state so that they can gain access to these new experimental treatments,” Rosenberg says.

Cancer Research Legend Urges Patients to Get Multiple Opinions

Furthermore, getting another opinion may also help you avoid doctor biases. For example, some surgeons own radiation treatment centers. “So there may be a conflict of interest if you present to a surgeon that is recommending radiation because there is some ownership of that type of facility,” Dr. Jim Hu, director of robotic surgery at Weill Cornell Medical Center, tells SurvivorNet.

Other reasons to get a second opinion include:

To see a doctor who has more experience treating your type of cancer
You have a rare type of cancer
There are several ways to treat your cancer
You feel like your doctor isn’t listening to you, or isn’t giving you good advice
You have trouble understanding your doctor
You don’t like the treatment your doctor is recommending, or you’re worried about its possible side effects
Your insurance company wants you to get another medical opinion
Your cancer isn’t improving on your current treatment

Bottom line, being proactive about your health could be a matter of life or death. Learn as much as you can from as many experts as you can, so that you know that you did your best to take control of your health.