Beauty contestant warns of 'careless sunbathing' after contracting skin cancer aged 24

 

A beauty queen contestant has issued a stark warning against careless sunbathing after revealing she developed skin cancer at the age of just 24.

Amy Hills, a finalist in the Miss York contest taking place this week, topped up her artificial tan at least once a week and refused to use suncream.

But during a routine visit to her doctor she happened to mention that a mole on her left arm had begun to change in appearance.

Amy Hills, of Selby, had a cancerous mole removed in an operation on the same day she took part in the Miss York contest

The dental student was horrified to be told just days later that it was cancerous.

Thankfully an operation last week revealed the cancer had not spread. However, Amy will have to have constant check-ups.

She is speaking out about her ordeal as a warning to other women tempted to take terrible risks in their quest for a golden glow.

Amy, of Selby, North Yorkshire, said: 'Like a lot of other young woman, I wanted  to look good and so would go for a tan about once a week.

'And when I sunbathed, I wouldn't normally use suntan lotion. I thought it  would never happen to me.

'But I noticed that the mole on my arm which I had always had had begun to  change about six months ago. It was darker, raised and had a jagged edge.

'The doctor called in with a colleague to have a look, and they both said it needed  to be removed as a matter of urgency. When the test results came back saying it  was cancer I was in a state of shock.

'The doctors said they were sure it was it was my sunbed sessions and sunbathing without lotion that had led to this.'

Amy underwent surgery last week just hours before she took part in a 'boot  camp' style challenge as part of the build-up to the Miss York contest.

Doctors have told her she needs a check-up every three months for the next five  years to ensure the potentially fatal cancer has not returned.

They also warned her off tanning salons for life and said she should always wear suntan lotion with a protection factor of at least 30 in the sunshine.

She added: 'It's left a dent on my arm which will always be there. They are very hopeful they have removed  everything that is cancerous.

'But if I hadn't been to the doctor about something else, I might have left it  for months more, which could have allowed it to spread further.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1281930/Sunbathing-worth-risk-warns-beauty-contestant-got-skin-cancer.html#ixzz0p9pjUcwP

Related articles by Zemanta

• Study: Tanning triples melanoma risk (cnn.com)
• 'Red-heads' most likely to use sunbeds (telegraph.co.uk)
• The Dangers of Tanning (lifescript.com)
• Cheap holidays 'skin cancer link' (news.bbc.co.uk)
• Is Sunscreen Safe? (lifescript.com)