Caution For Indoor Tanners: Tanning Salon Worker Who Indulged In Free Sessions Gets Skin Cancer

However, a small “regular-looking” mole, which she first spotted on her face in January 2023, prompted her to see a doctor after her sister Kelly Cladingboel noticed the mole had become larger, was a darker color, and an irregular shape, according to BerkshireLive. Stevens received her diagnosed in June.

Speaking to Kennedy News & Media, Stevens explained how leading up to her cancer diagnosis, her doctor referred her to see dermatologists, where she had the mole surgically removed in May.

She told the news outlet, “I was offered free sunbeds as part of my job package, that’s the only reason why I went on them. Everyone else at work was going on them and I felt better in myself, I felt healthier, which obviously I wasn’t.

“You were sort of encouraged to use them because you were selling the product. I’d never used them before and haven’t used them since I left. I’m not one to be out in the sun, if anything, I’ll hide from the sun because I burn.”

Stevens said she didn’t “pay much attention” to her mole until her 45-year-old sister Kelly pointed out that it was getting bigger.

“I was a bit shocked that someone else had noticed it. It was the kick up the bum I needed to go and get it looked at,” Stevens said.

She continued, “When I was diagnosed I just thought of my kids and my grandson. I wasn’t ready to go and I thought that was it and I was going to die. I wanted to see my kids grow up and see my grandson grow up and I didn’t know how they were going to cope without me.

Prior to getting her diagnosis, Stevens underwent a 45-minute-long surgery to remover the mole and had to wait four weeks for her results, which she received on June 14.

As she waits for additional surgery to lessen the scarring on her face, she said, “The consultant dermatologist was marvelous, he had my mole removed within a week. The stitches were covered for two days and when I took it off I was a bit conscious as I was working in a school at the time.”

RELATED: Tanning Salons Pose a Big Risk of Melanoma

The next procedure will be to check if all the cancer has been removed. “If the results come back clear, then I should be fine, but the dermatologist said if there are still cancerous bits in there then it could then go up to stage three,” she added.

Stevens has promised to never use tanning beds again, warning, “My message to people ‘addicted’ to sunbeds is don’t do it, it’s not worth the risk.

“It’s health before vanity. There’s plenty of lotions for fake tanning that you can use now, I’d go for that option now if you’re wanting to tan.”

Tanning Beds’ Link to Skin Cancer

Tanning beds emit ultraviolet (UV) rays, much like those coming from the sun. While people may use tanning beds to achieve a bronzed look they want, these rays can be extremely harmful to the skin.

UV rays can cause skin cells to age and even damage some of the cell’s DNA, according to the American Cancer Society. UVA rays are one type of ultraviolet ray that can damage the skin and makes up about 95% of all UV rays from the sun that reaches the ground. UVB rays have slightly more energy than UVA rays and can damage the skin directly. They’re the main cause of sunburns and most skin cancers, including melanoma.

Tanning beds emit both UVA and UVB rays, but they can have more intensity because the skin is only a few inches away from the lights source.

WATCH: People who go to tanning salons significantly increase their risk of developing melanoma.

A clear and direct correlation exists between skin cancer risk and the use of indoor tanning salons.

“There is an exponential increase in patients who develop melanomas who have been to tanning salons,” Dr. Anna Pavlick, an oncologist at Weill Cornell Medicine, tells SurvivorNet.

In a study that reviewed 54 other studies examining the link between indoor tanning devices and early-onset skin cancers, researchers found “indoor tanning is associated with increased risk for early-onset melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC).”

The researchers went on to urge people to avoid using indoor tanning.

Another study conducted by Yale Cancer Center said young people who tanned indoors had a “69% increased risk of early-onset basal cell carcinoma (BCC),” the most common form of skin cancer. In fact, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation, 3.6 million cases of BCC are diagnosed in the U.S. each year.

“Indoor tanning was strikingly common in our study of young skin cancer patients, especially in the women, which may partially explain why 70% of early-onset BCCs occur in females,” researcher Susan T. Mayne said to Yale Daily News.

Meanwhile, the American Academy of Dermatology says that just one indoor tanning session can increase the risk of melanoma by 20% and squamous cell carcinoma, another common form of skin cancer, by 67%.

A study published recently in a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society suggests that banning tanning beds among minors would help prevent thousands of cases of melanoma in adolescents, along with millions of dollars in healthcare costs.

“Studies have shown that exposure to tanning beds increases the risk of skin cancer and ocular cancer,” says Dr. Lynn A. Cornelius, chief of the Division of Dermatology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. “It also induces changes that lead to premature aging of the skin.”

Dr. Jennifer Lucas at Cleveland Clinic puts it simply, tanning beds are more harmful than the sun.

“Tanning beds are just as, if not more, harmful than the sun and there is no such thing as a safe tan. There’s many reasons to avoid tanning beds altogether,” Dr. Lucas said.

In general, if you do find yourself in the sun, dermatologists recommend using a minimum of SPF 30 to protect yourself from harmful rays and reapplying every two hours.

Choose the Right Sunscreen and Use it Often

Many people slather on sunscreen every day, but if you’re not choosing the right type or not using enough, it may not be working.

Dr. Cecilia Larocca, a dermatologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, recommends you use no less than SPF 30 and reapply it every two hours. Your sunscreen should also be broad spectrum, says Dr. Larocca, meaning it covers both UVB and UVA rays.

According to Dr. Larocca, people usually only get about 50% of the SPF on the label. So, if you’re using SPF 60, you’re really getting closer 30 SPF of protection. To make sure you’re getting the right protection, she also recommends using sunscreen every two hours and wearing protective clothing, such as a hat and sunglasses.

Here are some top tips for protecting yourself in the sun:

• Avoid sun exposure during peak hours when the sun’s rays are strongest, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
• Apply sunscreen 15 minutes before going outside
• Use at least SPF 30 broad spectrum sunblock and reapply every 2 hours when outdoors

Following these guidelines will help reduce your risk of skin damage and future skin cancer.

Understanding Melanoma

Melanoma starts in the same cells that give your skin, hair, and eyes their color. Only, in melanoma, the cells change in a way that makes them able to spread to other organs.

Changes to a mole you’ve had for a while or a new growth on your skin could be signs of melanoma, according to SurvivorNet’s experts. Though it’s unlikely that these marks are cancer, you’ll want to keep an eye on them and let your doctor know about any changes you do notice.

WATCH: Dermatologist Dr. Cecilia Larocca On Why Getting Moles Evaluated Might Save Your Life

You’re most likely to find melanoma on sun-exposed areas of skin, like your face, neck, arms, and legs. Surprisingly, you might also find them in places that have never been exposed to the sun, like:

• The palms of your hands or soles of your feet
• On your eyes or mouth
• Under your nails

What Are the Symptoms of Melanoma?

The most important thing to look out for when it comes to finding melanoma is a new spot on your skin, or a spot that is changing in size, shape, or color, SurvivorNet’s medical experts say. The spot will likely also look different from all of the other spots on your skin (doctors call this the “ugly duckling sign”).

When checking for melanoma, remember your ABCDEs

The acronym ABCDE should be used as your guide when checking your skin:

• Asymmetrical moles: If you drew a line straight down the center of the mole, would the sides match?
• Borders: Is the mole irregular or jagged?
• Colors: Are there multiple distinct colors in the mole?
• Diameter: Is the mole larger than 6 millimeters (mm), about the size of a pencil head eraser?
• Evolution: Has the mole’s color, shape, or size changed over time?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, our experts say it’s time to see your dermatologist for a skin check.

Other red flags to watch for are:

• A sore that doesn’t heal
• Color that spreads from the border of a spot to the skin around it
• Redness or swelling that goes beyond the area of a mole
• Itchiness, tenderness, or pain
• A change in the way the surface of a mole looks
• Scaliness, oozing, or blood

Top 5 Ways to Protect Your Skin From Skin Cancer

Melanoma Treatment Options

Melanoma treatment has come a long way. Survival rates have risen dramatically, thanks to a “treatment revolution,” say SurvivorNet’s experts.

With breakthrough treatments like targeted therapy and immunotherapy now available, people who are diagnosed today have a much better chance of living a long and healthy life than ever before.

If you’re diagnosed with melanoma, there’s a good chance surgery is going to be the treatment your doctor recommends. In the early stages of the disease, removing the cancer should lead to a cure. The question is typically not whether you’ll get surgery, but which kind you’ll have.

WATCH: Dermatologic Surgeon Dr. Nima Gharavi, On The “Gold Standard Treatment” For Melanoma

For an early-stage melanoma, like Stevens was diagnosed with, that is close to the skin surface, Mohs surgery might be an option. This technique removes skin cancer, layer by layer, until all the cancer is gone.

In general, stage I melanoma surgery consists of the simple, in-office removal of the cancerous cells by a dermatologist. If the cancer is thicker, your surgeon will remove it through a technique called wide excision surgery.

The removal of stage II and III melanomas are performed by surgeons or surgical oncologists, not dermatologists. You may also have a sentinel lymph node biopsy to see if the melanoma has spread to the first lymph node where it’s most likely to travel.

If your cancer has reached this first lymph node, it may have spread to other neighboring lymph nodes, and possibly to other organs. Where the cancer is will dictate your treatment.

After surgery, the removed tissue and lymph nodes will go to a specialist called a pathologist, who will measure the melanoma and find out if it has clear margins. Having clear margins means the cells around the area of tissue that was removed don’t contain any melanoma. When there aren’t any cancer cells left around the removed area, your cancer is less likely to come back.

Once your cancer spreads, treatment gets a little more complicated, but there are still ways to stop it. New treatments have vastly improved the outlook for people with metastatic, or stage IV, melanoma.

Targeted drugs and immunotherapy have been shown to be more effective than chemotherapy. So, with many more choices, there is no standard treatment. Treatment will vary based on your condition and whether there is recurrent disease.

Research has found that immunotherapy drugs such as Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and Opdivo (nivolumab) helped some people live longer. Combining immunotherapy drugs Yervoy (ipilimumab) and Opdivo (nivolumab) has also extended survival. Opdivo (nivolumab) + relatlimab is a new therapy option added to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines in 2022. The combination of two immunotherapies is called Opdualag.

For those with the BRAF mutation, targeted drugs which shrink or slow the tumor can be a good option. This could include a combination of drugs, such as:

• Zelboraf (vemurafenib) and Cotellic (cobimetinib)
• Braftovi (encorafenib) and Mektovi (binimetinib)
• Tafinlar (dabrafenib) and Mekinist (trametinib)
• Zelboraf (vemurafenib) and Cotellic (cobimetinib) can also be combined with atezolizumab.

“Every patient is different and every situation is different,” says Dr. Anna Pavlick, medical oncologist at Weill Cornell Medicine. She emphasized that “there is no cookie-cutter recipe” for treating stage IV melanoma.

There Is No “Cookie Cutter Recipe” for Treating Stage Four Melanoma

Dr. Pavlick also notes the importance of personalized care and treatment. “It really is a matter of looking at the tools we have so that we can pick the right tools to give the patient the best outcome.”

So, while there is no one-size-fits-all approach to treating metastatic melanoma, your doctor will work with you to develop a treatment plan that is tailored to your individual situation. Advances in research and technology are making the fight against metastatic melanoma more hopeful than ever.

Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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