Woman refused to look in the mirror.

After an acne scar turned cancerous and left her with a gaping hole on her nose, a woman refused to look in the mirror.

Melissa Fife, 40, a marketing specialist, noticed an acne scar on her nose becoming irritated before noticing it grew larger and the skin nearby began to flake at the start of 2020.

Melissa saw a plastic surgeon, who immediately referred her to a dermatologist because he suspected she had skin cancer.

Melissa, from Utah, received an official diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma skin cancer – the most commonly diagnosed skin cancer in the United States – within a week of having a biopsy.

Despite the diagnosis, Melissa remained calm, knowing that the cancer had been detected early and that she would be able to receive treatment soon.

Following the biopsy, she was scheduled for a minor procedure known as Mohs surgery, which involves the removal of cancerous tissue under local anaesthesia.

Melissa found it difficult to look at her wound for the first few days after her surgery because she was dealing with the sudden change to her face.

Fortunately, her family was incredibly supportive and offered to assist her so she wouldn’t have to look at her wound until she was ready.

After a few days, she decided she needed to see the wound to understand.