Sunbeds skin cancer warning
Young mum feared for her life over mole op
Kirsten Mcstay A young mum has warned about the dangers of sunbeds after doctors had to cut away a malignant melanoma.
Leeanne Prentice feared she might not be there for two-year-old son Rio after being told she needed surgery.
And just a day after the successful operation to remove the cancerous mole she bravely showed the huge scar that was left – in a bid to prevent others from making the same mistakes that she did.
After using tanning salons for over a decade, the 28-year-old believes sunbeds were to blame for her skin cancer scare,
She said: “I had been using sunbeds since I was 16 and I would go on for 10 to 12 minutes at a time.
“My dad always warned me not to use them as they are dangerous, but you never think something like this will happen.”
In June this year Leeanne was sitting out in the garden on a sunny day when she noticed a small mole on her leg had began to crust over.
She added: “Looking at it with the sun shining, I noticed that it actually had about three different colours in it and it had kind of scabbed.
“I then Googled it and the search came up that it was a sign of skin cancer. I didn’t think much of it but decided to make an appointment with my doctor anyway for peace of mind.”
The mum-of-one was then referred by her doctor to the Glasgow Royal Infirmary, who took pictures of the 1cm mole.
Two days later, medics contacted Leeanne to say they wanted to cut out the mole for a biopsy.
She said: “I went to get the mole cut out and then received the news that I would have to go back, as the biopsy said that it was a melanoma and the area around the mole would have to be taken out.”
Shocked at the news and scared that her two year-old son Rio could lose his mum, Leeanne made a Facebook appeal warning others to stay off sunbeds
The Motherwell mum posted on Monday: “Today’s the day I go into a plastic surgeon in Glasgow Royal Infirmary to have a small operation to remove skin cancer from a part of my leg.
“This is something I never ever wanted to be put on Facebook but some people need to know that the cause of this was sunbeds.
“Please, to anyone out there, if you think that having a tan is worth more than your life, then you are so wrong.
“I know everyone thinks that this will never happen to them, just the same as I did.”
The student dental nurse lost her mum to cancer three years ago and wants to tell everyone that having a tan is not worth risking your life over. She said: “If this could stop some girls or boys using the sunbeds, it could really be saving some lives.” And Leeanne is urging anyone who might be concerned about a mole to go and see a doctor straight away, adding: “I have had strangers mail me on Facebook since my post, asking about it and what my mole was like. “It was literally tiny and something I might not have noticed if the sun had not been shining on it. “I just want to tell everyone if there is any doubt in your mind, go and get checked. “This doesn’t take long at all and it could potentially be lifesaving.” And Leeanne concluded: “I’m just thankful that mine was caught in the very early stages and that I am here to tell this story.”
I decided to make an appointment with my doctor for peace of mind . . .