A WIRRAL nurse said she knew “exactly what it was” after her friend pointed out a bleeding mark on her lower back.

While on holiday five years ago, Karen Watson, a deputy ward sister nurse at Arrowe Park Hospital, recalled the moment when her friend noticed something on her lower back, a raised, itchy and bleeding mole.

After seeing a photo, the 45-year-old said she “knew exactly was it was” and described her clinical background as a “double edged sword”.

She said: “I think having medical knowledge makes it harder.”

Despite the alarm bells, Karen said she found herself in a state of denial, delaying the inevitable visit to the doctor for about a week.

Once she did, the urgency of her condition became clear.

She said: “I was swiftly referred to Clatterbridge’s dermatology unit, where the mole was removed on the same day. Waiting for the news dampened my 40th birthday break in New York.”

The biopsy confirmed her fears it was stage three melanoma.

Karen's diagnosis took her to St Helens for a deeper excavation and the removal of another mole.

She said: "They also took a lymph node from my groin, to see if the cancer had spread.

Facing surgery, Karen's concern was not for the procedure itself but for what it might reveal.

She added: "I wasn’t scared of the surgery, just the outcome.”

The discovery of the BRAF gene led to a targeted therapy in tablet form, an approach designed to attack specific genes involved in the proliferation and survival of cancer cells.

The treatment was not without its side effects, as Karen experienced rigors and rashes.

She said: "I didn’t feel great afterwards.”

Karen now says her diagnosis has “profoundly” changed her relationship with the sun.

She said: "I used to love the sun, so it has clipped my wings.

“I regret not being more sun-savvy in my youth. My advice to others is to avoid sunbeds and prioritise skin safety.

“Holidays are still on the agenda, but now with a high factor sunscreen and a preference for the shade.”

Karen is now hoping that her experience will raise awareness to the silent threat that melanoma poses and the crucial role of early detection and treatment.

Cancer Research UK's statistics reveal that melanoma skin cancer diagnoses have soared to 17,500 cases annually, with further forecasts warning of a potential 50% surge in the coming two decades.

Lianne Jackson, a Skin Cancer Nurse Specialist at Clatterbridge’s Dermatology Unit at Wirral University Teaching Hospital, reinforces this advice.

She said: "Perform a detailed skin check every month.

“Be on the lookout for any new or altered moles, non-healing areas, or other atypical signs.”