When a pimple on your face is really a rare cancer

We all get pimples occasionally, whether they pop up at that time of the month, or due to stress. But in one mum's case, a simple pimple (at least she thought it was) turned out to be so much more that.

Aussie mum Jodie Dominy discovered that her “stress pimple” was actually a rare form of skin cancer called Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans (DFSP), according to Women's Health.

The 41-year-old mother of two was originally told a bump on her chin was a fatty cyst. “The doctor explained I could have it removed for cosmetic reasons, but there was no harm in leaving it alone. I decided not to bother,” said Jodie.

However, the bump grew, so Jodie asked a plastic surgeon to get rid of it during surgery she had to remove a benign skin cancer on her lip. But doctors discovered the bump was actually a rare form of cancer, after analysis.

In a Facebook post, Jodie writes, “Most cases of DFSP have been found on the arms, legs, or back.  In Australia, there are only eight reported cases of DFSP, and I am the only one ever to have it on my face.”

Reportedly, Jodie's doctor compared the cancer to an octopus. It had extended tentacles that wrapped around the bump, forming deep 'roots', which made it very hard to remove.

Jodie had to undergo extensive surgery to remove the cancer from her left cheek, jaw, bottom lip and chin. She also had facial reconstructive surgery, for which doctors used pieces of muscle and skin from her arm to 'rebuild' her face:

Thankfully, Jodie is now okay.

No need to panic

If you are frantically examining that pimple on your face right now and worrying that it might be cancer, stop right now.

Women's Health quotes dermatologist Marie Leger -- an assistant professor of dermatology at NYU -- as saying, “It [DFSP] is not common—only about 0.8 to five people are diagnosed with it per million people a year in the U.S.”