A mom who thought she just had a spot on her nose was diagnosed with skin cancer - despite being "obsessed" with wearing sunscreen."

Amanda Anderson, 43, noticed a small spot on her nose in January 2025 but wasn't initially concerned as her skin often gets dry during the winter.

The mom-of-four went to the doctor just to be on the safe side and was given a cream to help with the dryness but when the spot came back and started to bleed and scab she became worried.

Her doctor initially told her it was nothing to be worried about but Amanda's gut told her different - and she went to another medic who did a biopsy.

The results came back as basal cell carcinoma - a type of skin cancer - in June 2025 and Amanda was scheduled for a Mohs surgery, a specialized surgical technique to remove skin cancer.

Amanda had a hole the size of quarter cut from her nose to remove all of the cancer cells - before the skin above and below her nose was used to fold over the hole.

Now recovering, Amanda wants to raise awareness for the importance of wearing sunscreen.

Amanda, who works for a nonprofit in suicide prevention, from Layton, Utah, said:

"It was just a little dry spot on the side of my nose."

"With it being the winter it's common to have dry patches."

"I wasn't super concerned at the beginning."

Amanda has been conscious about protecting her skin in her adult years as her dad, Kirk Romney, 66, has had skin cancer and had over 17 Mohs surgeries to remove cancerous cells from his face, neck and shoulders.

But growing up in the 80s, Amanda didn't have sunscreen growing up.

She said: "I'm very fair - I freckle, I don't tan easily."

"There was a a tanning salon across the street from school that wasn't regulated."

"I lived in Arizona where it was year-round sun."

When she noticed the spot in January she wasn't worried at first.

Amanda said: "When I noticed the spot at first I wasn't too concerned."

"It's typical to get dry patches because of the weather here in Utah."

She was recommended a cream after going to her doctor but when the spot returned Amanda was worried.

She said: "It came back and started to bleed and scab."

"The doctor didn't think it was anything to be worried about."

"I had a gut feeling that it was going to need to be removed."

Amanda went for a biopsy in June and get her results a week later on June 23, 2025.

She said: "It's hard to hear."

"It's on my face and as a woman we do everything we can to make sure our faces look as good as possible."

"I'm obsessed about sun cream and shade - I have been my whole life."

"So it was a bit of a gut punch."

She was scheduled in for a surgery to remove the spot on June 26, 2025.

The operation involved cutting a small section of the infected area - which is then taken to the lab to be tested.

If there are still indicators of cancer, doctors cut more of the infected area - until there are no signs of cancer.

Amanda had to have three rounds before they confirmed they had got it all.

She said: "It was about the size of a quarter."

"They cut above and below the hole and fold the skin over."

Amanda said the swelling is now going down and won't need any further treatment.

She will have check-ups every six months to monitor her skin.

She is now passionate about encouraging people to look after their skin - particularly from a young age.

Amanda said: "The damage is done when you're young."

"I encourage my daughters to put sun cream on underneath their make-up."

"I'm trying to build healthy habits in my kids."

"People don't realize you can get sunburnt through the window of a car."

"We have to take care of our skin like you would your teeth."

"Skin cancer is so preventable."