'Doctor said pimple would go away - days later I was in hospital'

'Doctor said pimple would go away - days later I was in hospital' Tracy Rider went for a second opinion after it got worse A mum who was told the 'pimple' on her collarbone would likely go away on its own - but soon after she was in hospital. Tracy Rider, 44, hadn't used a sunbed in more than a decade when she felt a small pimple on her chest in April after brushing her hand over her collarbone. It was barely visible, but she noticed it become itchy and get a couple of millimetres larger. When she visited her GP she was initially reassured it was 'just a small cyst' and told it would go away on its own. But over the next week, Tracy, a mum-of-two from Sittingbourne, Kent, booked to see a different doctor after she noticed the pimple becoming inflamed and scabbing. This time, project administrator Tracy was referred straight to dermatology and it was removed. It was sent for testing and the pimple came back to be squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC)- a form of skin cancer. This came despite her having been very sun-safe for the past decade - religiously wearing suncream and not having used a sunbed in 13 years. Tracy told Talk to the Press: "I remember sitting at home watching the telly and my hand brushed across my collarbone. I thought it was a spot so I tried to squeeze it, but when I did it was uncomfortable. It didn't feel like a spot. "The first doctor said it was just a cyst, but I didn't think that was right and I went back 10 days later because it had scabbed even though I hadn't touched it since. I hoped they would reassure me again that it was nothing to worry about, but I knew it was more sinister. In my teens and early 20s, everyone used sunbeds, including me, so the damage must have been done years ago." Tracy, who is mum to two teenagers, first went to the doctor with the small bump, which at the time was a little itchy. Despite worrying she was "wasting their time" she went - but was sent away and told it was nothing more than cyst. But less than a fortnight later the skin had become more red and Tracy began using a hot compress in a bid to make it go away, as it was visible when she wore strappy tops. When she returned she was sent straight to dermatology and told it should be removed. She said: "It never bled, but it scabbed and it looked unpleasant. I didn't touch it after the first time, but it got bigger." A procedure on May 13 cut away a 4cm piece of skin from her collarbone and she was stitched back up. She got the results back confirming it was SCC, but the doctors had completely removed the cancerous tissue, so no further treatment was necessary. She has been warned that she must be vigilant with any future spots, moles and lumps. Tracy said: "I've been told there's a high chance I can get another one, so if I see anything, I get an instant panic. I'm not a sunbed user now, I haven't used them in 13 years, and I always wear factor 30 in the sun. "It's not just about wearing sun cream on holiday too, in summer people should be wearing it every day, even if you're just pottering. "It can cause damage in later life. If you think something isn't right, go and get it checked. And it's not just moles - mine wasn't a mole."