Maddy Balderson’s Journey with Skin Cancer
Maddy Balderson, a 38-year-old Australian beauty entrepreneur, has spent years exposed to the sun and tanning oils. Her story highlights the dangers of neglecting skin health, as she recently faced a recurrence of an aggressive form of skin cancer.
Growing up on the beach in Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, Maddy was immersed in a lifestyle that prioritized tanning over protection. She often used tanning beds and oils, believing she was invincible. This habit continued into her adulthood, where she would spend hours in the sun without any protection.
Despite having very fair skin and warnings from her parents, Maddy brushed off the risks, thinking she was safe. “I knew it could have happened to me, but I just kept doing it. [I was] young and naïve,” she admitted.
Her first red flag came at 26 when her facialist noticed a small discolored patch under her jawline. It would bleed, and she would wake up with blood on her pillow. A biopsy confirmed infiltrating basal cell carcinoma (BCC), a more damaging subtype of skin cancer.
After undergoing Mohs surgery, doctors warned that the margins were ‘quite slim.’ However, with close monitoring, she was cleared without needing radiotherapy. For the next decade, Maddy was diligent about her skincare routine, using SPF daily, covering up, seeking shade, and getting skin checks every six months.
But this year, the cancer returned, and as if like déjà vu, her beauty therapist mentioned a strange change in her scar during a skin needling treatment. The therapist noticed a white shadow around the scar that was bleeding frequently. This prompted Maddy to get it checked.
Her plastic surgeons ordered five more biopsies around the site to measure how far the cancer had spread. The tumour, which began as a tiny dot a decade earlier, had now grown to the size of a 50-cent piece. Maddy underwent day surgery in November, but because of the size of the tumour, surgeons had to perform a large surgical flap under her chin.
“It’s kind of like an ice-cream scoop shape,” she said of her new scar, which has pulled the skin so tight, she currently has limited movement in her neck.
The toughest blow came when her post-surgery pathology revealed something far more serious. Her cancer had transformed into morphoeic basal cell carcinoma, an aggressive form that spreads by burrowing deeper into the skin. “They’ve now told me it’s a worse type [of skin cancer] and it’s on my nerves,” she said. “It’s called perineural invasion, [and] it acts a lot more aggressively.”
Missed warning signs include:
- A small discoloured patch of skin under the jaw
- Spot that bled at night and during skin treatments
- A ‘white shadow’ appearing around an old scar
This subtype is known for its high recurrence rate and potential impact on nerve function, including facial drooping or Bell’s palsy. Her plastic surgeon has warned she will likely need radiotherapy, but nothing has been confirmed yet.
“I’m terrified,” she admitted. “I was just driving in the car thinking, ‘do I have to tint my car windows darker now?’ I’m now so scared of the sun.”
“I get my skin checked every six months… and it’s never been picked up. It could have been one tiny little cell that didn’t get removed 10 years ago, and it’s just done its thing.”
BCCs are the most common skin cancer in Australia, but infiltrating and morphoeic types can be deeply destructive, disfiguring and, in rare cases, life-threatening. Maddy said her experience proves it can happen to anyone, even those who believe they’re now doing everything right.
“People think you can just cut it off and be on your way, but they don’t realise how bad the [BCC] stages can be,” she said.
As she waits for her oncology appointment and continues recovering from surgery, Maddy is urging Australians to take even the smallest skin changes seriously. “Check the spot. Wear the SPF. Don’t ignore anything, because I never thought something so tiny could turn into this.”