Mom of Three, 65, Says She Discovered Cancer After Getting Lip Filler & Had New Lip Made From Tongue– “Don’t Make My Mistake”

However, several tests, including a biopsy, revealed that she was dealing with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). SCC is among the most common types of skin cancer. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, squamous cells are “thin, flat cells that form the top layer of the epidermis.” This skin cancer type isn’t life-threatening and grows slowly, according to the American Academy of Dermatology Association.

“I’ve been really lucky that I got it as quickly as I did,” Pauline said.

Her treatment involved her doctor reconstructing her lip using her tongue. The recovery process was uncomfortable and painful for Pauline.

“I’d wake up during the night and [realize] I’d bit my tongue. And that was so painful. It was unbelievable,” she described.

It took her a little more than a year to fully recover. While reflecting on her journey, she thought about how she ended up with skin cancer in the first place. Although she places blame on her lip filler procedures, her doctor suspected it was caused by sun exposure.

Regardless of how she got cancer, Pauline is grateful she was able to get it treated in time.

“I consider myself so fortunate, but it could have been very different,” she said.

Common Skin Cancer Types and How to Spot It

According to the CDC, the three most common types are squamous cell carcinomas, basal cell carcinoma, and melanoma. People who spend lots of time in the sun unprotected or use tanning beds are most at risk for basal and squamous cell skin cancers.

Like basal and squamous cell skin cancers, the chance of getting melanoma cancer increases with excessive exposure to ultraviolet (UV) like from the sun or tanning beds.

WATCH: Learning the warning signs of melanoma.

How to Spot Skin Cancer

You should check your body for any unusual spots or moles on your skin at least once a month. Any new spots on your skin or changes in size or color demand your attention.

Changes to a mole you’ve had for a while or a new growth on your skin could be signs of melanoma, according to SurvivorNet’s experts. Though these marks are unlikely to be cancerous, you’ll want to keep an eye on them and inform your doctor about any changes you notice.

You’re most likely to find melanoma on sun-exposed skin areas like your face, neck, arms, and legs. Surprisingly, you might also find them in places that have never been exposed to the sun, like The palms of your hands or soles of your feet, On your eyes or mouth, or Under your nails.

SurvivorNet experts describe melanoma symptoms as:

• A sore that doesn’t heal
• Color that spreads from the border of a spot to the skin around it
• Redness or swelling that goes beyond the area of a mole
• Itchiness, tenderness, or pain
• A change in the way the surface of a mole looks
• Scaliness, oozing, or blood

WATCH: Get Your Moles Evaluated to Rule Out Melanoma.
The general appearance of basal and squamous cell carcinomas are:

Basal cell cancers:

• Reddish patches of raised, itchy skin
• Firm, flat, pale, or yellow areas on your skin
• Small, pink, red, shiny, or translucent bumps
• Open sores that don’t fully heal

Squamous cell carcinomas:

• Lumps
• Open sores that don’t fully heal
• Growths that look like warts
• Rough, scaly red patches of skin

When you check your skin, use the acronym ABCDE as your guide:

• Asymmetrical moles: If you drew a line straight down the center of the mole, would the sides match?
• Borders: Is the mole irregular or jagged?
• Colors: Are there multiple distinct colors in the mole?
• Diameter: Is the mole larger than 6 millimeters (mm), about the size of a pencil head eraser?
• Evolution: Has the mole’s color, shape, or size changed over time?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, our experts say it’s time to see your dermatologist for a skin check.

Other red flags to watch for are:

• A sore that doesn’t heal
• Color that spreads from the border of a spot to the skin around it
• Redness or swelling that goes beyond the area of a mole
• Itchiness, tenderness, or pain
• A change in the way the surface of a mole looks
• Scaliness, oozing, or blood

How Is Skin Cancer Treated?

Common treatment options for skin cancers include:

• Surgery involves cutting out the cancerous cells; sometimes, Mohs surgery is used. Mohs surgery removes skin cancer layer by layer until all the cancer is gone.
• Radiation therapy uses low-energy X-rays to target cancerous cells.
• Targeted therapy targets specific genes, proteins, or the tissue environment contributing to cancer development and growth.
• Cryotherapy freezes the cancer cells to kill them.

“The gold standard for treatment of melanoma is a surgical treatment with wide margins,” says Dr. Nima Gharavi, Director of Dermatologic Surgery at Cedars-Sinai.

Tips to Protect Your Skin from Skin Cancer

As much as many of us enjoy spending lots of time in the sun during the spring and summer, we must remember that the sun can harm us. For most people, there are simple ways to significantly reduce your risk of developing skin cancer.

We asked dermatologist, Dr. Dendy Engelman, to provide the top five ways to protect your skin from cancer. Most of her recommendations are simple to follow and could save your life.

• Avoid sun during peak hours. The critical hours are from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Protect yourself from harmful sun rays if you are outside during that time.
• Cover your skin and eyes. A wide-brim hat and sunglasses will protect your face, the top of your head, your ears, and the delicate skin around your eyes.
• Wear an SPF of 30 or higher. Dr. Engelman also recommends reapplying every few hours or after excessive sweating or swimming.
• Get an annual skin check. You can check your skin for anything that looks out of the ordinary, but you should still get a yearly check to ensure you don’t miss anything. If you notice anything out of the ordinary between checks, schedule an appointment to talk to your doctor.
• Avoid tanning beds. If you feel like you’re just too pale, Dr. Engelman recommends a sunless tanner. “There’s absolutely no benefit to going to a tanning bed,” Dr. Engelman said.

Questions to Ask Your Doctor

If you are diagnosed with skin cancer, you may have some questions for your doctor. SurvivorNet suggests some of the following to help you on your cancer journey.

• What type of skin cancer do I have?
• What treatment options exist for this type of cancer?
• Will insurance cover this treatment?
• Would treatment through a clinical trial make sense to me?
• What resources exist to help manage my anxiety because of this diagnosis?

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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