WATCH as a woman with a massive keloid protruding from her neck finally gets the skin growth removed.

Olivia, a 28-year-old nurse, grappled with the growing keloid over the course of four years.

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Starting out as a spot, it gradually swelled to the size of a satsuma and left Olivia feeling increasingly self conscious.

“It can be exhausting, trying to constantly be brave, and trying to hide it,” she said.

“It’s my face, this is what everyone sees!

“Often at the end of the day the tears may come, it makes you sad,” an emotional Olivia reflected.

Not only that, the nurse was constantly catching her seat belt or face mask on the growth, which at times became unbearably itchy.

After years of emotional and physical discomfort, Olivia decided to visit consultant dermatologist Dr Emma Craythorne about finally having the keloid removed.

The nurse’s story features in a brand new episode of The Bad Skin Clinic, as the first instalment of the seventh series airs tonight.

The new series will see Dr Craythorne help patients with a number of growths and skin ailments.

“When a skin disease affects the face it can be devastating,” the dermatologist said.

“Not just physically, but also emotionally and socially.”

Though Olivia was desperate to have her keloid removed to improve her self-confidence, the specialist nurse also visited Dr Craythorne for practical reasons.

The growth had gotten so large it has started to impact her work supporting patients with learning disabilities, as well as her everyday activities.

“My keloid… it really does get in the way. I often get my seatbelt rubbing on it.

“If I’m trying to wear masks or PPE at work, I’m quite uncomfortable with it,” the nurse explained.

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Olivia’s keloid also got unbearably itchy at times, leaving her in a frenzy of scratching.

“I’m always rubbing it,” she said.

“It’s like an itch and I can’t stop doing it.”

In an initial consultation at the clinic, Dr Craythorne confirmed that Olivia’s growth was indeed a keloid.

To Olivia’s surprise, Dr Craythorne pointed out that the growth could have been triggered by something as inconspicuous as a small acne spot on her neck.

“Essentially the cells that we have responsible for making a scar are called ‘fibroblasts’,” she explained.

“If you cut yourself, or you have an injury, they start repairing that wound, and then once the injury is healed over, it stops repairing.

“But in somebody who has a tendency to keloids, those fibroblasts don’t stop making scar tissue. So in your case this a genetically-inherited tendency.

“I suspect you might have even had a spot, like an acne spot or something like that. Something really little, and that’s been enough to provoke this response.”

Olivia got yet another surprise when the dermatologist revealed that she would be able to remove through surgery that very same day.

“I know you don’t want it there, but it’s grown in such a beautiful way and does not seem to be going deep into the skin nearby,” Dr Craythorne told the nurse.

“This is a really nice keloid that should get a good outcome from surgery.”

Not expecting to go into surgery that day, Olivia was happy at the idea having the keloid removed and at the same time anxious about the surgery.

“I’m sh****** myself,” she told the dermatologist as she arrived at the theatre, prepped and ready for her op.

QUICK WORK

After injecting the keloid to numb it, Dr Craythorne started making slow and precisely incisions to the keloid with her scalped, which she told Olivia was “fairly superficial”.

“We’re not having to really dig deep down into the skin to find all the roots of it,” the dermatologist explained.

“This is where my yoga and Pilates comes into play,” she joked as she manoeuvred herself around Olivia to get to the keloid from different angles.

Dr Craythorne sliced the little “spud” all the way off before long and stitched up Olivia’s neck, asking the nurse to move her chin to make sure the skin wouldn’t pull.

“Welcome to your new face,” she told a beaming Olivia, handing her a mirror.

Following the op, Dr Craythorne reflected: “When somebody has something that’s different about their face, it has an effect on them.

“Our face is so important to us in terms of communication, in terms of breathing, in terms of speaking, in terms of touch, all of these things.

“But also crucially, it’s a point of contact that people look at, so it’s not the same as having a lump growing somewhere else.

“When it’s right in the middle of your face, it has an impact in all of those ways.”

CONFIDENCE BOOST

Olivia was back at the London clinic two weeks post-op for a check-in.

“I’m just looking forward to showing Dr Emma how my face is getting on.

“Colleagues have mentioned how great things are looking, I even had someone at the chip shop say ‘ooh your thing’s gone!’,” the nurse said.

“Honestly, I feel like people are actually looking at me and talking to me as opposed to looking down at my neck,” Olivia told the dermatologist.

“My lanyard, it’s not getting stuck, it’s just sliding on…seatbelts… even like a bag, I can wear it on this side.

“Before I could never wear a bag this way. All these kinds of things, I’m so so happy,” Olivia went on.

Olivia’s surgery also boosted her self-confidence.

“I feel so pretty,” she said.

“Having it gone is literally life-changing for me. I’m so much more confident, I’m not conscious when I’m taking pictures or even when I’m walking around.

“I’m not really trying to cover my face anymore.

“My life now is amazing. I’m feeling great, really confident, really happy. Just excited for the future!”

The Bad Skin Clinic airs on Really on Tuesdays at 9pm and is available to stream on discovery+.

NEARLY one in six bunged-up Brits are banished from their beds when they have a cold – spending as long as three nights in exile.

A poll of 2,000 adults found 45 per cent of these ended up seeking refuge in the spare room, while 40 per cent have been forced to flee to the sofa in the dead of night.

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And 18 per cent ended up sleeping in solitude on the floor of the kid’s room.

Dr Sara Kayat, who has partnered with nasal spray brand Stérimar, which commissioned the research, said: “Suffering from a blocked nose or congestion can make it harder to get to sleep at night.

“A blocked nose can actually feel worse at night because more blood flows to it when you lie down, which can add to the nasal inflammation and congestion.”

It also emerged for 53 per cent their snoring will get worse when they can’t breathe clearly because of a cold or blocked nose.

These ailments will impact the quality of sleep for 70 per cent of adults, depriving them of an average of three hours each night of precious kip.

As a result of this, 61 per cent are low on energy the next day, with 48 per cent being more irritable.

Over a third (37 per cent) of these will struggle to concentrate and 29 per cent won’t be on top form at work, the figures found.

Dr Sara Kayat added: “Having your sleep disturbed by a cold or blocked nose is bad enough.

“But the survey shows that your sleep disturbance can quickly become the source of low energy, negative mood and even relationship grumbles if you keep your loved one awake.

“It’s important to find a solution quickly that helps you breathe more easily, and that lets those around you get good quality sleep too.”

The cold and flu remedies that experts say actually work

Mike Hewitson, a pharmacist from Somerset, suggests the best thing someone can buy when they have a cold or flu is standard paracetamol.

“I generally advise people to use unbranded medicines which are often as effective as the branded products, but at a fraction of the price,” he said.

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Paracetamol can help to “control the fever” which often accompanies the flu, Mike said.

Sadik Al-Hassan, a pharmacist based in Bath, added that medicines such as Lemsip Max, which contain a combination of drugs, can also be helpful at reducing symptoms.

“The paracetamol can help reduce pain, the decongestant to clear out the sinuses and vitamin C to help you fight infections faster,” he said.

Both pharmacists warned patients against Echinacea – a herbal supplement which some take to boost immunity.

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“While it probably isn’t going to do much harm to take it for most people, there isn’t much evidence to suggest it actually helps,” Mike said.

The experts stressed that prevention is better than cure and there are many effective ways at reducing your chances of getting ill in the first place.

Sadik said: “There are a lot of cold and flu prevention nasal sprays on the market which create a gel barrier which words as a physical barrier.”

Meanwhile, Mike pointed out that it isn’t too late to get a flu jab.

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“Many pharmacies will also be able to provide you with a private flu vaccination service if you don’t qualify for the free NHS jab,” he said.