Mom, 44, Who Used Tanning Beds Twice A Week Is SHOCKED To Be Diagnosed With Cancer Despite Having No Visible Moles

“The doctors aren’t sure how it has developed but I would use sunbeds in summer twice a week,” she told The Scottish Sun.

In December, she was diagnosed with stage 3 melanoma following a scan and a mammogram. At the time of her diagnosis, the cancer had already spread “to her lymph nodes, located between two arteries making it impossible to operate,” reports The Mirror. 

Young says, “I was so shocked when I got the diagnosis as I didn’t have a mole or any skin problems.”

The Mirror says, “The mum is desperate to make precious memories with her husband Peter, 41, son Kurt, 28, and 10-year-old daughter Ellie so they have fond times to cherish when she is no longer here.”

Understanding Melanoma

Ninety percent of melanomas are caused by ultraviolet radiation from the sun. That means you're at risk if you spend excessive amounts of time in the suneven as a child. If you ever got scalding sunburns or were a fan of tanning salons, it's important to get your skin checked.

Dr. Anna Pavlick, an oncologist at Weill Cornell Medicine, says melanomas are the deadliest type of skin cancer because they have a tendency to spread to other parts of the body.

Most of her patients are those "who have had scalding sunburns as children, patients who have had excessive sun exposure, patients who go to tanning salons because they thought that having a tan was the healthy thing to do."

Melanomas can occur, however, in areas that are not sun-exposed, such as the sinuses, the back of the eye, the anal/rectal area, and also in areas of your body that were just not exposed to sun.

The Sun is Not Your Friend Most Melanomas are Caused by Sun Exposure

Protecting Your Skin from Cancer

Protecting your skin by wearing sunscreen and getting skin checks is so important. Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed type of cancer in the U.S., and you can protect yourself and lower your skin cancer risk by taking prevention steps.

In an earlier interview, dermatologist Dr. Dendy Engelman outlines five easy ways to protect your skin, and lower your skin cancer risk. She tells us:

1. Avoid sun during peak hours. This means from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It doesn't mean you should never go outside during the middle of the day, but make sure you're protected when you do venture outdoors.
2. Cover your skin and eyes. A wide brim hat and sun glasses will protect your face, the top of your head, your ears, and the delicate skin around your eyes.
3. Wear an SPF of 30 or higher. Plenty of facial moisturizers have SPF built into them. Reapply often.
4. Get an annual skin check. You can check your own skin for anything that looks out of the ordinary, but you should still get a yearly check to make sure you didn't miss anything. If you do happen to notice anything out of the ordinary in between checks, schedule an appointment to talk to your doctor about it ASAP it is always worth it to make sure.
5. Avoid tanning beds. "There's absolutely no benefit to going to a tanning bed," Dr. Engelman says.

Top 5 Ways to Protect Your Skin From Skin Cancer

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