'My life changed after my dentist spotted something scary during a routine check-up'

A man was diagnosed with a deadly skin cancer after his dentist spotted an unusual mark during a routine check-up.

Dentist, John Hewitt, noticed a growth whilst examining Billy Ford at City Dental Practice in Manchester city centre in May last year.

John urged his patient to get the brown lesion checked out immediately, so 78-year-old Billy sought a second opinion from a dermatologist and was referred to an eye clinic.

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Further tests revealed Billy, from the Westhoughton area of Bolton, actually had a malignant melanoma – a type of skin cancer.

Billy, who has attended the practice for 30 years, said: “John spotted the brown lesion on my eyelid during a routine check-up last May and asked me what it was.

“He urged me to get it checked out fully and within a few weeks I’d sought a second opinion from a dermatologist who referred me to an eye clinic. This led to further tests and the discovery that the lesion was in fact a malignant melanoma.

“The lesion started as a small black spot on my eyelid which I was told was nothing to worry about at first by my doctor, but it gradually grew and over time began to feel itchy and eventually interfered with my eyesight.”

Billy has had three operations at Bolton Royal Hospital following his diagnosis in May 2022 and has since made a full recovery.

His consultant, Miss Bhatt, performed an operation to remove his bottom eye lid and reconstructed it a few days later.

Billy now credits John for potentially saving his life. “John played a key role in helping to ensure that the melanoma on my eyelid was detected and treated early which meant the cancer was removed and didn’t