Kari Cummins, 35, was left with a hole on her face the size of a quarter after surgery to remove the abnormal spot.
A California mom was left with a gaping hole in her face after what she originally believed to be a black head revealed itself as a sign of skin cancer.
Kari Cummins, 35, of Lake Arrowhead said she never suspected the abnormal spot on the right side of her chin to be anything more than acne.
“It was just slightly discolored from my normal skin color, like a light purplish,” Cummins told InsideEdition.com. “I thought it was an underground blackhead or some weird adult acne thing.”
After trying to treat it with natural pimple-removing remedies, she said it wouldn’t budge.
At the time, she had already had several lumps on her forehead that turned out to be basal cell carcinoma removed due to a couple visits to the tanning salon in her 20s. But Cummins explained this new spot looked different than the rest.
“Those were red and bumpy and kind of scabbed over,” she explained. “So I didn’t think that was another skin cancer.”
A trip to the dermatologist revealed the new bump was actually squamous cell carcinoma.
“I wasn’t super scared,” she explained. “I just knew that if it’s not taken care of sooner rather than later, they just grow and grow. It’s better to get them taken care of when they’re small.”
Although the spot appeared minor on the surface, it was later revealed it had been growing under her skin.
When she had the surgery to remove it, Cummins had a quarter-sized hole taken out of her face, according to photos licensed by Caters News.
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Two years after the surgery, Cummins continues to have a scar from where the spot had once been but is using the experience to warn others to be aware of what their bodies may be telling them.
“Any kind of abnormal spot on your skin, it could be a spot or pimple but you should always be super cautious of your skin,” she said. “It’s a vital organ. Get it taken care of as soon as possible.”
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