‘Dementia link to sudden low blood pressure and dizziness’
October 13, 2024
A young woman is fighting skin cancer after spending up to nearly 20 minutes a week on sunbeds – for EIGHT years.
Leanne Atherton, 25, recently underwent surgery to see if the cancer has spread, after being diagnosed with malignant melanoma at a routine check-up in June.
Leanne, from Aston-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, started visiting tanning salons when she was 17 and sometimes spent up to 18 minutes a week on sunbeds.
She described the moment her local GP used the big C word as “devastating”.
“As soon as you hear the word cancer you begin to panic and it was really scary. I probably naively thought skin cancer was cut out but malignant melanoma is really serious and can spread to your internal organs.”
Having recently undergone Lymph node biopsy surgery at The Christie, Leanne is anxiously awaiting her fate as she recovers at home.
“Having to have an operation wasn’t a nice experience. But the worst part has been the wait. You try and occupy yourself but it’s all you can think about. “
Leanne says her local trip to the tanning shops was “addictive” and wishes she was told more about the risks of using sunbeds.
“I’m not naturally dark and my hair isn’t either, so I regularly used to go off to the sunbed shop. A tan is part of looking good. And I think it’s addictive as well.
“You get used to seeing yourself with a tan and when it starts to fade, you go and top it up.”
Being fair-skinned and having a lot of moles, Leanne admits that she shouldn’t have been using them at all and told of times when she would pay for a 42 minute course and would have to use them within a month.
She is now urging people who use sunbeds to think twice and do their research before they jump on sunbeds.
She also believes the onus should be on tanning salons to take responsibility – after her own experience of using sunbeds before the legal age of 18 and never being asked to complete any type of heath questionnaire.
“In eight years of using them I was never once asked to fill any forms in or questioned about my skin type or age.
“I just wish that I had been told more about the risks associated with them. I’m not going to stand outside tanning salons telling people not to go in.
“But I would just urge people to read up on skin cancer and make sure they’re informed about the risks before they make a decision. I think salons have a responsibility in that regard as well.
“For me, no tan is worth the pain of an operation, scarred skin and the constant feeling of ‘what if’ while waiting for my results”.
Medical research shows that using sunbeds can increase your risk of skin cancer by up to 75 per cent. It is also advised by the Health and Safety Executive that people with fair skin and moles should not use sunbeds.
Source The Daily Mirror