Woman suffered ‘scary’ permanent reminder of tanning bed addiction

A woman is warning others about the risks of tanning beds after a shocking injury left her with a painful reminder of the potential dangers.

Sunbeds are known to cause major health issues, including eye damage, premature ageing, sunburn, and a depleted immune system are all side effects of using them.

According to new research, the UV tubes also triples the risk of developing melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

Symptoms of melanoma include changes to a mole, freckle or normal patch of skin, according to Cancer Research UK.

Early detection (stage 1) carries a 100 percent chance of surviving for five years or more after diagnosis. 75 in 100 of those with stage 3 melanoma skin cancer are likely to survive for the same period.

Despite repeated warnings from the World Health Organisation about the link between sunbeds and skin cancer, their use is on the rise, with a third of adults and almost 43% of 18 to 25-year-olds using them. Speaking to ITV's This Morning, flight attendant Beth Brown revealed how years of using sunbeds left her with skin cancer.

Beth has recovered from treatment and is now advocating for greater awareness (ITV)

Wanting to maintain a golden glow for her travels, Beth began using sunbeds every week from the age of 22 and also tanned in the sun without protection.

Six years later, what she believed was facial eczema was diagnosed as skin cancer, leaving her with a hole in the side of her face after surgery to remove it.

She is now raising awareness about skin cancer and the importance of SPF.

Beth said social media also influenced her to seek a deeper tan which ultimately led her to sunbeds. She admitted that she ‘didn’t really wear’ SPF before her diagnosis, but now she does.

“About three years ago I noticed a little red patch and I thought it was eczema. I was putting E45 and Sudocrem on it - obviously it didn’t go away.

“I mentioned it to my boyfriend. He sent a photo to his mum, who is a doctor, and she suggested to go to the doctor.”

Beth noticed a red mark on the side of her forehead but thought it was eczema (ITV)

Beth said the red mark would sometimes ‘scab over’ and occasionally bled, but most of the time it appeared as a small red patch that didn’t go away.

The risk of skin cancer is cumulative, starting in childhood of DNA damage to the skin cells. Dr. Zoe Williams said any skin lesion that doesn’t heal after four weeks needs to be checked out.

When said the diagnosis was ‘scary’ especially because the lesion was on her face. The operation left a hole on the side of Beth’s forehead and the doctor told her she wouldn’t be able to go to the gym for a month or work.

The type of skin cancer Beth was diagnosed with is basal cell carcinoma, the most common type.

Dr. Zoe’s says it is ‘relatively easy’ to treat surgically. “The sooner the surgery is done the better.” she said.

Beth said she would advocate against sunbeds