Cancer patient: Tans are not sexy
Tuesday, 08 Apr 2008 13:22
People should stop thinking of a tan as being sexy and start to realise the health risks of using sunbeds, cancer patient Justine Sheils has said.
Ms Sheils, a 36-year-old administrator from Liverpool, began using sunbeds when she was 15 so she could get a base tan before summer holidays and then top the tan up when she came home.
When she was 32 she was diagnosed with malignant melanoma - a form of skin cancer - and has since had two major operations to remove cancerous tumours from her chest and the top of her head.
"The tanning salon was near my school and I used to go in for sunbed sessions on my way home," said Ms Sheils.
"There was always an occasion like a party or an outing when I had the excuse to top up my tan. Now I see girls of 14 or 15 in their school uniforms going into that same salon I used to use and they come out looking like lobsters."
She added: "They all think something like cancer could never happen to them. But it has happened to me. I get so angry when I hear young celebrities say having a tan makes you look sexy.
"It's only when you get older you understand the risks. I just want to do something to warn young people about the possible consequences of using sunbeds. If my story can stop one girl risking melanoma then something good will have come out of my cancer diagnosis."