Man, 50, who tried to hide ‘annoying ingrown hair’ with his beard discovers it’s actually cancer years later
A MAN has warned other ‘stubborn’ blokes not to ignore symptoms – after an ‘ingrown hair’ he tried to cover with his beard turned out to be cancer.
Football manager Simon Heaton, who “takes pride in his appearance” first noticed a pinprick-sized spot on his left cheekbone three years ago.
It disappeared after a few weeks but popped up again, prompting Simon to grow facial hair to cover it.
The 50-year-old, who says his best pal is former professional boxer Ricky Hatton, believed it to be an ingrown hair or pimple so didn’t think much of it, until it started to grow in size.
When it mushroomed to 4mm in diameter Simon, manager of non-league Abbey Hey Football Club, was urged by his mum to go to his doctor and get it checked out.
At a GP appointment in July 2023, former sunbed lover Simon was stunned when he was referred to a dermatologist who believed the spot to be cancerous.
Last week, the dad-of-two had the growth – believed to be basal cell carcinoma – surgically removed, leaving a three-inch scar behind.
Simon now faces an anxious six-week wait to confirm the diagnosis and see if he needs any further treatment.
The business development manager is urging “stubborn blokes” to get anything unusual checked out straight away.
Simon, from Stalybridge, Greater Manchester, said: “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.
“I take pride in my appearance, I like to think I’m a smartly dressed guy.
“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.
“This little pimple got bigger and then it started to have a little scab on it and then it would weep and then it would fall off. It got into an eight-week cycle.
“I just lived with it, with the beard no-one could see it.”
It was only after the spot grew and Simon mentioned it to his mum Margaret Heaton a few times that she urged him to get it checked out.
Simon said: “In my past life I loved a sunbed. In my 20s I would go on sunbeds three times a week for six minutes without using suncream.
“I felt better when I had a tan. I’m not vain, you just look and feel better.
“When I went on summer holidays, as soon as that sun was up I’d be on a sunlounger until the sun went down. I’d use factor 12 then down to oil on the last few days.
“I’d mentioned it to my mum a few times. One of the times she said ‘go and get that checked out’.
“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 GP 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.”
Can you spot the cancerous moles from the harmless ones?
IF you've spotted a new mole or lingering mark on your skin, don't be too quick to dismiss it.
It’s important to know what your skin looks like normally, to helps you notice any unusual changes.
The ABCDE rule can be followed to assess the health of a mole.
If your mole falls into the following, it’s worth getting checked:
- Asymmetrical – melanomas usually have two very different halves and are an irregular shape
- Border – melanomas usually have a notched or ragged border
- Colours – melanomas will usually be a mix of two or more colours
- Diameter – most melanomas are usually larger than 6mm in diameter
- Enlargement or elevation – a mole that changes size over time is more likely to be a melanoma
Most melanomas don’t give you symptoms like pain or itching.
Meanwhile, some non-cancerous moles or abnormal patches of skin can be itchy.
So having some of these changes on their own doesn’t mean you definitely have melanoma, but you should still get it checked out.
There are two main types of skin cancer – non melanoma skin cancer and melanoma skin cancer.
Non-melanoma skin cancer includes:
- Basal cell skin cancer – this is also called basal cell carcinoma
- Squamous cell skin cancer – this is also called squamous cell carcinoma
There are a few different types of melanoma too:
- Superficial spreading melanoma
- Nodular melanoma
- Lentigo maligna melanoma
Find out more about distinguishing moles here.
Simon underwent an hour-long op to scoop out the growth at Tameside Hospital in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, on October 22.
Now he has a three-inch scar on his face that surgeons say won’t be visible under his beard as it heals.
Simon said: “It’s a fair old scar on my face, it was quite deep but hopefully it’s done with.
“They’re going to biopsy it and will get the results back at my next appointment in six weeks’ time.
“The surgeons were absolutely fantastic. One said because of my beard line he was going to change the angle [of the incision] a bit so when it does heal the scar won’t be seen.
“My partner Adele’s been a massive support throughout it all.”
Simon is now urging anyone with any unusual symptoms to get them checked out straight away.
Simon said: “I now wear a factor 50 moisturising cream every day.
“My advice to blokes who think it’s just a spot or ingrowing hair would be to 100% 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.”
What is basal cell carcinoma?
Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is a type of non-melanoma skin cancer that starts in the top layer of skin.
It can often be easily treated.
The main cause is ultraviolet light, which comes from the sun and is used in sunbeds.
Things that increase your chances of getting non-melanoma skin cancer include your age, having pale skin and having had skin cancer in the past.
The main symptom of non-melanoma skin cancer is a growth or unusual patch on the skin.
Any part of your skin can be affected, but it’s most common in areas exposed to the sun, such as the:
- Head, face and ears
- Neck and shoulders
- Back
- Hands
- Lower legs
The growths or patches can vary in colour, size and texture.
It’s possible to reduce your risk of skin cancer by being careful in the sun – for example, by using sunscreen and reapplying it regularly.
Source: NHS