Lisa’s personal story
With the encouragement of my mother, I finally went to a dermatologist. They found two places of concern, so biopsies were done. A couple of weeks later I found out they were they were melanoma.
I thought skin cancer was something they would just scrape off of me. My mom had used sunscreen on me as a child, but during my late teens and early twenties, I used the indoor tanning salons. I was addicted to them.
At age 25 in 2001, this skin cancer news did not scare me. I was uneducated about it. Plus, tanning was cool! All my friends were doing it.
It wasn't until the surgery on my face that I realized this is serious. They took out a huge chunk! It changed my life.
Now with a total of 81 skin cancers removed, here is my message: Tanning doesn't make you beautiful. You are beautiful to the people who matter most without a tan. Protect your skin. It will thank you later.