Click on the video above to watch the clip that could have saved this mum’s life – and scroll down to find out how to spot dodgy mole
A SUNBURNT mum claims a 34-second clip of coconut oil melting on her leg, which she shared on social media, may have saved her life.
Bre Sheffield suffered severe sunburn after falling asleep on the beach for 45 minutes last month without wearing any suncream.
The mum-of-four shared a shocking clip showing just how burnt she was – with her thighs bright scarlet and so hot that a lump of coconut butter can be seen melting into a puddle on her skin.
The light-hearted post, captioned “when you’re so burned you can melt coconut oil on your leg” went viral, racking up a whopping 4.2million views.
The video focuses on the skincare product rapidly vanishing into the skin on the 35-year-old’s right thigh, but TikTok was quick to notice a jagged nickel-sized mole—a mark she’s had for a decade but admits has been “growing”.
Social media users flooded into the comments section of her 34-second clip suggesting she get the sinister-looking mark checked by a doctor – with many brazenly declaring that it is melanoma.
Melanoma is the most severe form of skin cancer that has a tendency to spread around the body.
The worried X-ray technician booked a dermatologist appointment and is getting the mole removed.
TIKTOKERS SAVED MY LIFE
She admits that while doctors didn’t think it was anything to worry about, she is nervously hoping tests will prove it is non-cancerous, thanks to what TikTokers said.
Now, Bre is sharing her scary experience to urge people to use sun protection and get anything suspicious checked out by doctors.
Bre, from Coffee Springs, Alabama, US, said: “TikTok users could have potentially saved my life.
“They’ve really made a mark on how I view things and have pushed me to take things more seriously.
“I was really scared, I started to question everything.
“I’d taken my children to the beach that morning and fell asleep and didn’t apply sunscreen. I got pretty burned, which never usually happens.
“At home, I was talking to my son, and he mentioned something about the heat of my leg, and I wondered if it would melt coconut oil.
“So he said, ‘Let’s make a video’, and it turned into a joke. I was going to delete it the following day, but it turned into what it did.”
One TikTok user wrote: “Not to freak you out, but it looks like melanoma.”
Another user commented: “Call your dermatologist tomorrow and tell them it can’t wait.”
A third wrote: “As someone who just had one removed and was cancerous – go get it looked at.”
A fourth user commented: “That is melanoma.”
Bre said: “I dismissed the comments at first. It [the mole] is something I’ve had all my life, so I never really paid attention to it.
“But then, once the comments started flooding and the messages started coming, I was looking back at old pictures and noticing that it had changed, so it kind of piqued my interest.
“It’s flat, it’s not raised, but it’s darkened over time and it has grown. It’s been so normal to me over the years.”
Bre underwent annual skin health check-ups and had a biopsy done on the spot back in 2014, which didn’t reveal any cause for concern.
However, she said insistent TikTok users pushed her to go for an appointment with a dermatologist on May 14th as she admits it had been growing.
She’s now being referred to a plastic surgeon to have the mark, believed to be a benign nevus spilus, removed due to its changed appearance.
‘BIG RELIEF’
Bre said: “I felt a lot of anxiety. I started questioning things, ‘Could it be melanoma? What if it is?’
“I told my dermatologist I would like it removed and hoped she’d agree.
“There was no excision done but because of the size my dermatologist has referred me to a plastic surgeon.
“I’m kind of nervous. I just hope that it’s smoothly removed and the results come back benign.
“It will be a big relief once I get the test results back, a heavy weight off my shoulders.
“Once it’s removed I’ll feel better but I’ll feel even better once I get the results.”
Thankful Bre said the outpouring of support and concern her video prompted is comforting, and she’s now sharing her skin health journey to encourage others to get checked.
Bre said: “It’s really strange because it’s comforting to know there are people in the world who still care for other humans and want the best for people.
“I’ve had a lot of people reach out and tell me that because of that video, they’ve made their appointments and are getting their skin checked.
“I’ve also gotten a lot of hateful comments and messages. I try to ignore those and not read them because they don’t truly know the full story or everything about me. I just ignore it and brush it off.
“Melanoma is very serious, it can affect anybody. It doesn’t have to look like the basics, it can look like anything.
“It doesn’t hurt to get it checked, what’s the worst that can happen? It could be something not to worry about.
“I want to spread awareness of the seriousness of skin health.”
