We probably all know someone who's had a skin cancer scare or diagnosis.

It's scary and shocking no matter who you are.

One Idaho mom found out even a small warning sign can be an indicator of a much larger problem.

(air whooshing) For some people, it's just part of the summer cycle.

- I have fair skin, and I got sunburned repeatedly in my youth.

- [Aaron] Burn, peel, tan, repeat.

- As a teenager, everybody wants to have that golden, lovely bronze tan.

- [Aaron] Mel Gunnell was one of those people, but the damage that cycle caused wouldn't show itself for years.

- I definitely was a golden child for skin cancer.

I mean, if someone's gonna get it, it was me.

- [Aaron] About eight years ago, the recipe blogger and content creator noticed a tiny scab on the side of her nose.

- You know, at first I thought, "Well maybe it's like a pimple."

It wasn't that.

It was a scab.

And over the course of three months it would scab up, and then look like it was gonna heal but never fully healed.

And it was tiny.

It was like a pin prick.

- [Aaron] Several months went by without the spot healing.

Reluctantly she went to the doctor.

- I'm a little bit hesitant to go into the doctor because I feel like so often you go in and it's nothing.

You just don't want to be that person.

- [Aaron] The dermatologist knew instantly it was basal cell carcinoma.

- It was like this whirlwind of like this is abnormal, and this is something that you need to get taken care of.

So it kind of caught me by surprise to be honest.

- [Aaron] So much so that she drove herself to surgery thinking it would be quick, simple, and mostly painless.

It was not.

- I was in shock at how big of a deal it was.

- [Aaron] She walked out of surgery with 20 stitches stretching from the base of her nose to between her eyes.

- When I finally got out of the appointment and was driving home, I think my body went into a little bit of shock.

Like as I was looking at myself, I mean, it was bandaged up at that point, but recognizing I had this enormous bandage, and it was starting to hurt.

It felt like I had been cleaved through the face with a hatchet - [Aaron] Recovery took months, and in the year since, she's had additional skin cancers removed.

Now she's diligent about sun protection, known for always applying sunscreen, carrying an umbrella, and using protective clothing.

- What that looks like for me is, at the pool, I am the one wearing the, you know, long-sleeve rash guard, or I have swim leggings.

- [Aaron] Even with all that, Mel gets her skin checked every six months trying to make sure things don't go untreated for too long.

- But the dermatologists have said if another basal cell spot comes up in that same area, that would require pretty much a whole reconstruction because of the scar tissue and everything that's there.

(gentle music) - [Aaron] She's also committed to using her social media platform to share her experience and help make sure others are not only protecting themselves from the sun but looking for the signs and not waiting to get checked out like she did.

- I was blown away by the number of comments and messages people sent me that said they never would have gone in to get something checked or their skin checked had they not read that because, again, they were probably like me, which is like, "I'm sure it's nothing."

I am not kidding you.

Hundreds of people went in, and it ended up being squamous cell or basal cell, and in some cases it ended up being nothing, right?

A shocking number of people were able to go in and get some type of skin cancer caught early.

And for that reason, I feel like it is important for me to share.

- [Aaron] Mel wants everyone to wear their sunscreen, grab their umbrellas and their sun hats because even small things can reduce your risk of skin cancer.

- You don't have to alter your entire lifestyle, and you can still really enjoy being outside, but I have learned so acutely that this can happen to anybody.

(gentle music) (air whooshing)