Dundee United manager Peter Houston has spoken about his recent skin cancer scare and revealed it was his daughter’s “pestering” that persuaded him to have a check-up.
Houston recently had minor surgery after a mole on his face turned out to be lentigo maligna, which typically progresses very slowly and can remain in a non-invasive form for years.
“I thought it was a freckle at one stage but it certainly got bigger,” he said. “You don’t really notice but my daughter kept pestering me to get it checked out.
“I went to my own doctor first and they thought it was nothing but they got me checked out.
“The specialist said we can do one of two things take a biopsy of it or take it out. The scar would have been about half-an-inch and I thought, ‘Look, just take it out, because I don’t worry about scars.’ You are not a Glasgow boy until you’ve got a scar on your face!
“I got the mole removed and went back in six weeks and they said if I had let it develop, over the years, it could have developed into a melanoma.
“The doctor sent me a letter last week saying everything’s okay and I’m due to go back on Wednesday.
“I’ll be going back for regular check-ups. I now know only too well how important it is to check for even the slightest changes in the skin at an early stage, to reduce the risk of more serious consequences.”
He volunteered for a further skin examination at Tannadice on Monday to help raise awareness of skin cancer prevention and the importance of early detection.
Dr Andy Affleck, consultant dermatologist at Ninewells, visited the ground to thank Dave Bowman and his Dundee United Legends team for raising over £7000 for the skin cancer unit at the hospital.
He took along a dermascope a magnifying device to look at the skin in fine detail to help detect early and subtle changes not obvious to the naked eye.
Dr Affleck said, “I’m also grateful to Peter Houston to allow us the opportunity to raise awareness of these issues in this way.
“Skin cancer rates are increasing locally and nationally, and early detection can make a significant difference in the outcome of cases.
“Prevention too is very important, especially in children, and over the last few years Dundee United has made a highly positive contribution in helping to raise awareness of these matters in the Tayside and Fife areas,” he said.