Former Sunbed Operator Shares Skin Cancer โฃDiagnosis, Urges Regular Checks
A young woman is sharing her story after being diagnosed with melanoma, the deadliest form of skin โฃcancer, attributing her risk to yearsโ spent working at a sunbed salon. Tรฉa Cooley,now recovering from surgery,is speaking โขout to raise awareness about the dangers of sunbeds and the importance of regular skinโ self-exams.
Cooley recounts a work habitat where sunbed use felt normalized. “the โmaximum โคI would get was โ12 minutes,โฃ and I wouldn’t use them that frequently. I was serving people who wanted 20 minutes, and others who would come in every day. I was in an environment where my usageโ didn’t seem so bad in comparison.โ I thought, ‘I’ll be โfine’ and was normalising it. You truly believe it won’t happen to you,” she said. Her experience has fundamentally shifted her approachโ to sun protection and โฃprompted her to advocate for proactive skin cancer screening.
The diagnosis came after Cooley noticed a change inโ a moleโ and was encouraged to get it checked by a TikTok video from another user sharing a similar experience.Sheโ is now urging others to be vigilant about โtheir skin health and persistent with their doctors โif they haveโ concerns. “I haveโ posted about my story on TikTok. It felt right,” she says. “The โคfact that I checked my mole as I saw someone โขelse โขon TikTok encouraged โขme โto put it out there. I’ve โhad soโ many messages from people that have reached out to me with theirโค story.”
Cooley’s story underscores the well-established link between sunbed use and increased melanoma โrisk. Accordingโ to the Skin Cancer Foundation, even one sunbed session can increase the risk of melanoma, and the risk increases with each use. She now consistently wears SPF all over her body, checks the UV index daily, and prioritizesโ sun safety even on vacation. “I had a holiday bookedโ to Egypt before all of โคthis, but I also โฃwentโ to Centre Parcs and โขI was more excited to go to Centre โParcs than I wasโ for Egypt,โข as of the weather. But I went there and I was wearing SPF 50. โYou can’t live life avoiding the sun, which isโ what I โฃkind of โคhad to learn.”
She continues toโฃ encourage her friends, someโ of whom still use sunbeds, to monitor their skin closely. โ”I still have some close friends who useโค sunbeds,and I really hope they โขcan learn from my experience,” she continues. “If they wantโฃ toโฃ continue getting them then that’s up to them, but I do warn to at least keep an eye on their moles.”
For facts and support on melanoma, visit Melanoma Charity for Professionals, Patients & Public or call theโ charity’s free andโค confidential helpline: 0808 801 0777.