Stories
Hope's Story
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Eight years later, after suffering burns all over her body and being diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer, she advises young women to stay away from indoor tanning. Now 23, Hope looks back on her five year, several times a week, tanning beds usage as an addictive habit. “I would ask for another two minutes to be added (to the session time). I always felt it wasn’t enough and wanted more.” She had heard warnings about not using tanning beds but didn’t take these seriously. “You hear you should not use tanning beds, but I was young and invincible and thought nothing could happen to me,” she adds. |
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That all changed in 2007 when Hope fell asleep while using a tanning bed. The timer did not go off. After the one hour and 40 minute exposure, she developed first, second and third degree burns all over her body. She also had a high fever, went into shock and suffered renal failure. A month of painful recovery followed. However, things were about to get even worse... A few months later, at age 21, a new, red and discoloured spot appeared on the top section of her right arm. It turned out to be a melanoma – the most serious form of skin cancer. A 4 1/2 inch long area of skin around the spot had to be removed to try to ensure all the cancerous cells were taken. Hope coped as best she could with the emotional shock of having cancer at such a young age. Having been a model since the age of 4, she felt extremely self-conscious about the scar on her arm. “I felt the only way I could feel better was to hide it by covering it with a tattoo.” So that’s what she did. Hope also continues to deal with the aftermath of her sunbed accident as her skin remains permanently sensitive to heat and the sun. To young women and teens considering using tanning beds, Hope offers this advice: “If you care about your body, stay away from tanning salons. If you want a tan, use spray on colour. It won’t cause you cancer.” | |
Bianca's Story
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Bianca Castellano, of Brampton, Ontario, is an olive-skinned, 25 year old Canadian of Italian descent. She has lots of what her friends call “beauty spots” or moles on her skin. She’s not your typical picture of a person with skin cancer… However, Bianca, a nursing student, has already had two potentially lethal melanomas removed from her arms, and 11 suspicious moles taken off for further investigation. Thirteen surgeries later, she cautions against tanning – indoors or outside. “All the girls in my family suntanned,” she says. At age 16, Bianca turned to indoor tanning to get a darker tan and feel “warm and relaxed”. She used tanning beds twice a week for the next six years until she was diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer. While at nursing school, she learnt about the connection between moles and melanoma. With people on both sides of her family having many moles, including herself, she began to check her spots carefully. |
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“There was one spot on my left forearm that was changing. It was very irregular, grew quickly and was elevated,” she explains. Once the mole was removed and the melanoma diagnosis was confirmed, Bianca says her first feeling was one of extreme fear. “That changed into denial, then anger and even depression. Finally, I started moving forward and talking about it. It helps to know I can warn people – my family and friends… I can take steps to protect myself too, such as not using tanning beds, limiting sun exposure, and wearing sunscreen, clothing and hats.” Recently Bianca discovered her second melanoma. About eight months ago, while doing a regular skin check, Bianca discovered a mole on the top of her right arm that had changed in size and colour and grown very quickly. It was soon diagnosed as melanoma and a five inch scar is left to remind her of that surgery. Bianca continues to caution others about avoiding tanning beds and suntanning outdoors. But she’s realistic in her attempts. “Ultimately, it’s their decision to make. All I can do is make them aware of the dangers.” To those seeking a tan, she says: “It’s not about how darkly tanned you are. Be yourself, accept who you are and what you look like. Find your inner beauty. | |
Jackie's Story
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Jackie Connors, a 36 year old nurse in St. John’s, Newfoundland, started using tanning beds in her teens because “tans were in and everybody was doing it”. “I don’t recall anyone at our graduation that wasn’t tanned,” she adds. “I used tanning beds every other day for about four years. I went to two or three different salons to get as much time as possible. It was definitely addictive.” At age 20, while at nursing school, Jackie learned about the signs of skin cancer, including the most dangerous kind, melanoma. A very dark, irregular, raised spot on her leg that bled after shaving raised alarm bells. “I didn’t get it checked at first though – I needed to keep tanning,” she says. Her doctor thought she was too young to have melanoma skin cancer. His hunch was wrong… |
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After the spot was removed, the confirmed diagnosis of cancer was “completely devastating” says Jackie. She underwent further surgery to remove a wide margin of skin around the cancerous lesion. The blond, blue-eyed mother of one has since undergone treatment for two more melanomas - one on the back, the other on the neck. Back at the dermatologist’s office where she works, Jackie looks for any opportunity to counsel parents and teens against sun bed use and tell her story. “They can’t believe what I’ve been through. I show them the scars… “My own parents really regret that they let me use tanning beds, but no one knew much about them then. Over the past five or ten years, knowledge about the dangers of using tanning beds has really grown,” Jackie adds. “It’s important that people find out the facts about indoor tanning. Don’t learn the hard way…” | |
Aimee's Story
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The first time Aimee, of London, ON visited a tanning salon, it was a few weeks before a winter vacation to the sunny south. Aimee, then 20 years old, went for regular appointments, several times per week, hoping to avoid burning while on holiday. “After that I enjoyed looking ‘sun kissed’ and believed I looked healthier, prettier, thinner and younger with a tan.” Her mom knew she had been tanning for awhile and she did warn her about the dangers, especially being of Irish decent, but Aimee decided to go anyway. "I ignored warnings from my mom. Since I was a teenager, or at least very young, my mom always warned me to be protected in the sun because I have such fair skin. I understood what I was doing to myself at the biological level but also believed I was immune to that, or it happened to other people and wouldn’t happen to me.” Aimee was spending so much of her time and money at the tanning salon that she soon accepted a job there. |
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“When I started I only went about twice a week but after a couple years the addiction had progressed. I ended up working at a tanning salon because I was going so often and it was costing so much. I would tan at least every other day for about two years,” she said. Pamphlets that were provided by tanning salons claimed misleading health benefits. Even though Aimee knew that UV radiation from indoor tanning could cause skin cancer, she believed the literature and prioritized it above the risks. After eight years of tanning, Aimee was diagnosed with melanoma. “I was drying off after a shower and saw a new mole on my chest. I couldn’t remember ever seeing it before. That was in the spring of 2009. I was 28 and living oversees doing my PhD,” remembers Aimee. “On my next visit home to Canada I saw my family doctor and there were now two suspicious moles. Just to be safe a biopsy was done on both.” Hoping for the best, Aimee went back to university in the Netherlands. She was just beginning her second year as a PhD when her mother called with the news. The biopsy results came back and one of the moles was malignant melanoma. Aimee recalls, “I was alone in the Netherlands and scared about what was going on so I flew back to Canada to have the mole removed and further testing done. Thankfully the melanoma hadn’t spread and I was ok. I have a scar about an inch long in a delicate and awkward spot. I see it every day when I get ready so I am always reminded of the cancer that could potentially be living and growing inside of me.” Aimee took some 5 weeks off from work and university, and is considering a break from her studies to return to Canada. "I don’t know what magic words could stop 20 year olds from tanning other than it just isn’t worth it. No amount of tanning is worth the lifetime of worrying that I am up against. I will always be worrying that there will be a mole that I don’t notice in time. I worry that there will be another new mole that I’m not as lucky with or that I may get too pre-occupied with my career or future family to remember to check. And I feel like an idiot because I didn’t listen to other people telling me not to tan.” | |
Marie-Pier's Story
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As her Secondary 5 graduation ball drew nearer, 16-year-old Marie-Pier began regular visits to a tanning salon. For a young graduate, artificial tanning a few days before the big event has almost become a tradition. Bronzed skin seems to go so well with a pretty dress, perfect makeup and a magnificent hairstyle. In spite of the reticence of her mother and sister and notices posted by the tanning salon’s owner, Marie-Pier continued weekly tanning sessions for several months after her graduation, before stopping them completely. Unfortunately it took only 30 tanning sessions to lead to a cancer diagnosis. Although she was careful to apply cream before each session, used the tanning bed at its lowest setting and took short evenly spaced sessions, the damage was serious. Two years later, at the age of 18, Marie-Pier went for an annual check-up. It was then that her family doctor found a beauty mark on her left breast. Because the mole was a good size and very dark for someone so fair-skinned, the first dermatologist did not take any chances and referred Marie-Pier’s file to Dr. Joël Claveau, a Quebec dermatologist who specializes in the detection of melanoma and other skin cancers. Initially, the consultation with the specialist was only meant as a preventative measure. |
| Neither dermatologist was unduly concerned because the mole was not raised and the edges were not irregular. As a precaution, however, Dr. Claveau decided to request a biopsy. The news was bad. What appeared to be a normal, although dark, mole was an invasive Clark level II malignant melanoma. The case of Marie-Pier strongly suggested that her use to tanning salons had a direct impact on the development of this skin cancer. Marie-Pier had to undergo a second operation to remove the remaining cancer cells. She had never exposed this part of her body to direct sunlight, so the tanning salon was the only place where her breasts could have been exposed to damaging rays. The tanning sessions were probably the cause of the melanoma. Marie-Pier and her family were devastated by the news and became extra cautious about exposure to the sun.
Some months later, Marie-Pier made another appointment with Dr. Claveau to check a second suspicious beauty mark, this time on her right breast. Once again the mole did not have the typical appearance of malignant melanoma, but Dr. Claveau did not take any chances. Another biopsy was performed and resulted in a second round of bad news. While less invasive that the first mole, it was the beginning of skin cancer. Marie-Pier was discouraged by this second diagnosis. Now at 22, she is more cautious when it comes to being out in the sun. She avoids direct sun exposure and uses only the best sun protection: clothing treated with anti-UV protection and wide spectrum SPF 60 lotions. She no longer takes any chances and leaves nothing to fate. Marie-Pier will be followed up annually by Dr. Claveau for the rest of her life and will have to undergo routine x-rays at the hospital in order to track any changes in both moles. She adds: “In hindsight, it’s obvious that the tanning sessions were really not worth the risk. I had a lot of trouble believing that this could happen to me; after all, I was young and didn’t overdo artificial tanning. But no one is immune from a cancer diagnosis. It’s upsetting to think that if I had waited a few more years before consulting a dermatologist, the tanning sessions could have cost me my life. I’m very thankful to my family doctor who found the mole on my left breast and referred me to a dermatologist. Everyone should get into the habit of periodically examining the appearance of their beauty marks. I’d like to end by urging others not to make the same mistake as I did. Don’t wait for a similar diagnosis before becoming aware of the risks of artificial tanning and direct sun exposure.” | |
Pam's Story
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Pam has dark hair, fair skin, blue eyes and ever since she can recall, freckles. But after 6 years she stopped tanning mainly because she noticed she was getting more age spots and wrinkles and began worrying. Pam recalls exactly when her melanoma story began. “It was just after my 35th birthday and I was just relaxing with my feet up. My husband pointed out a suspicious spot on my thigh and wondered what it was. I just laughed it off at the time... assuming it was just another freckle since I have them all over. A few weeks later a family friend, who is also a doctor, suggested a biopsy - it was simple and could be done in my doctor’s office. I honestly didn’t understand what was strange about this spot, it appeared to be a freckle. I had seen the poster in my doctor’s office and knew what do look for, irregular border, colour, asymmetry, diameter, and does it change, but those are moles not freckles.” |
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The biopsy was done, and three weeks later, Pam received a call from her family doctor asking her to come in that day. She instinctively knew why. Her gut feeling was proven right when the doctor told her she had a malignant melanoma. The process to treat her skin cancer began immediately. Pam had an additional surgery to ensure the biopsy had removed all of the cancer cells. This time a larger area was removed - all the way down to her muscle leaving a long scar and a divot on her thigh. Pam’s team of doctors (including her family doctor, surgeon and dermatologist) have all stressed her how lucky she is. Her cancer was caught and treated early and if she had waited even a year longer it would be different circumstances. | |
