Mum noticed 'glitter' on foot while in bath - but it was something more serious
A sunbed fan has issued a warning after she mistook a mole on her foot for a bit of glitter - before finding out she needed surgery.
Lauren Linford, 32, from Stevenage, was diagnosed with skin cancer in November last year after she noticed a black mole had appeared on her skin. She admitted that she would use sunbeds up to three times a week before jetting off abroad. But she says she wasn't aware of the dangers, as she was advised by a medical professional that tanning could reduce her chances of burning.
The beauty therapist explained that she was in the bath when she spotted what she thought was glitter on her skin. But after it didn't come off she realised it was a mole. Later on, she noticed it had become raised and alerted doctors. Lauren then pushed to have the mole removed and tested which led to her skin cancer diagnosis. She then had to have a second surgery to ensure that the cancer hadn't spread further. She said: "I've always been careful with my skin and aware of my moles, however, I started using sunbeds before going abroad as I thought it would prevent me from burning.
"I went back to the doctor when I noticed the new mole had changed. When I got the results back and found out I had cancer, it was intense and scary. It was a horrible thing to hear at 32, but I put my serious head on and thought about what the next steps in treating it - I am still waiting for the results of my second surgery to find out if it has spread."
Lauren noticed the black dot on her foot in October 2021 while she was in the bath. She had been doing her client's makeup for their Halloween nights out and thought she had got a patch of black glitter stuck on her foot and tried to scratch it off. However, when realised that it wasn't coming off, decided to make a doctor's appointment to get the new mark checked.
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Lauren pushed to have the mole removed (laurenssleevejourneyx/ CATERS NEWS)
The mum first spotted the mole whilst in the bath (laurenssleevejourneyx/ CATERS NEWS)The mum says she didn't think too much of it, and says she was advised to return if it started to change. Over the next few years, she started gaining a tan, which she loved but also recalls that she was seeing more moles on her body. She says that she would go on up to three sun beds per week in the lead-up to a holiday, for between 12 and 15 minutes at a time. Lauren had three holidays to Malaga, Ibiza and Cappadocia lined up for 2023 and was topping up her tan in preparation.
However, she realised that the mole on her foot looked darker and slightly raised. She went back to the doctor and explained that she wanted it removed as it was giving her anxiety. On 16 October, Lauren had the mole removed and within a week she received a call to go into the hospital where she was told that she had stage one melanoma.
She then had to have the "cancer chat" with a Macmillan nurse which she says was overwhelming, intense and scary - but she tried not to panic and thought about what her next steps would be. Lauren underwent a second surgery on November 30 to have move tissue removed to make sure that the cancer hadn't spread and is awaiting the results.
Lauren had two surgeries to stop the spread (laurenssleevejourneyx/ CATERS NEWS)
Lauren has warned others to check their moles (laurenssleevejourneyx/ CATERS NEWS)She said: "It was such an awful thing to hear at 32. I have always been a moley person, fair-skinned and known to burn in the sun even when I have factor 50 on. My mum always taught me to wear SPF so I have always been aware and careful. I was told by a medical professional that going on sunbeds before going on holiday would prepare my skin and stop me from burning so easily.
"So, whenever I had a holiday coming up, I would go on them for a few weeks beforehand a few times a week and then I would never burn while I was away and actually started getting a lovely tan too. I didn't realise this would be so dangerous for my skin, but when my mole started to change I realised that this wasn't right. It was like a horrible gut feeling.
"After my diagnosis, I am 100 per cent put off sun beds as the nurse told me that due to the type of mole that I had, it was more than likely from the sun beds. I want to raise awareness of how dangerous sun beds and extreme sun exposure can be for you."
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