A woman who mistook a tiny 1 inch large blemish for a spot was left needing 30 stitches after it needed to be removed.
Steph Warkotsch, 30, first noticed what she believed was a blemish on her left cheek in October. The mum-of-two tried to draw it out using a face mask and a cold compress, but nothing seemed to shift it.
Over the course of a week, the blemish started growing and Steph visited her local GP who prescribed her antibiotics but after four weeks of taking them, the spot had doubled in size- and was the size of a 10-cent piece With her GP reluctant to extract the blemish, they sent Steph for an ultrasound which showed the spot was a deep-rooted begin sebaceous cyst in her bone and sinuses.
Sebaceous cysts are typically harmless, slow-growing bumps under the skin- typically found on the face. Swiftly visiting a skin cancer doctor, they suggested surgical removal would be the safest course of action. On November 12, 2024, Steph underwent a 30-minute procedure that saw the cyst successfully removed and left her needing 30 stitches.
Although leaving a “huge” scar on her cheek, Steph says she’s “on the mend”. Mum-of-two Steph, a health councillor, from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, said: “Even though I’m not prone to blemishes, I thought it was a spot. But as I was trying to draw out the gland and it was only getting bigger, I started to worry. The pain was unbearable, and I couldn’t sleep properly because I couldn’t lie on the left side of my face at all.
“It was only when I went to the skin clinic that I felt like I was getting somewhere. They reassured me they would remove it and follow the natural wrinkle and smile line which means it’ll heal smoother. Although the procedure was uncomfortable and seeing my face for the first time all stitched up was a shock. This is going to be on my face forever and coming to terms with that was hard. But I’m doing better and the scar is going down.”
After trying a new parlour for a massage, Steph noticed a blemish on the left side of her face one week later. Despite being used to “having the odd spot here and there” Steph said “this was out of the ordinary”. Going to her local GP, she was prescribed three rounds of antibiotics but the blemish kept getting bigger and left Steph with a “constant throbbing pain”.
An ultrasound revealed the ‘pimple’ was actually a cyst that was bone and sinus-deep. After urgently going to a private skin clinic, medics suggested an emergency removal of the cyst. Steph paid $450 (£278) privately for the half-hour procedure and was given local anaesthetic for the surrounding area as the cyst was successfully removed. “I thought they were going to extract it, not remove it,” Steph said.
“Of course, I trusted their judgement but because it was up close on my face, it was invasive and made me feel overwhelmed. But I’m glad I got the procedure booked in a matter of days, the pain and sleepless nights were hard to navigate as a single mum. When I first saw my face post-surgery with a clump of stitches, I just cried. I thought I’d be scarred for life but it’s healing slowly, the clinic kindly instructed me on how to care for the wound. My daughters have been really sweet and tell me how beautiful I am which helps.”
Documenting the ordeal on TikTok, Steph’s videos have received over nine million views. She said: “I wanted to warn others that a ‘spot’ might not be a blemish. You should always seek professional assistance, especially when it comes to your face.”
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