Skin Cancer Selfie [VIDEO]
I have never been to a tanning salon, but I am a sun worshiper, which is just as bad. After learning about Tawny Willoughby's story on Good Morning America, I might never go outside without sunscreen ever again.
Willoughby is the 27-year-old mom featured in the video, warning others about the reality of skin cancer treatments. Her photo on Facebook has gone viral.
"If anyone needs a little motivation to not lay in the tanning bed and sun here ya go!" she wrote. "This is what skin cancer treatment can look like."
The unforgiving scabs on her face are the result of a treatment called Aldara, (generic name imiquimod). The cream is used to trigger an immune system response to kill abnormal cells for patients with non-melanoma types of skin cancers. Dermatologist Dr. Barney Kenet said that "the reason it's so horrific is that the immune system is very powerful and what stimulates it to attack these abnormal cells really destroys them with a lot of inflammation."
Willoughby confessed that she used tanning beds excessively, up to five times a week in high school. She was first diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma at 21 and beat that, but returned to tanning beds for her wedding. She has beaten basal cell carcinoma five times since then.
She knows that she's lucky to not have been diagnosed with melanoma yet. Willoughby has had "cancer cut and scooped out, electrodissected, frozen with liquid nitrogen, surgically removed and killed with photodynamic therapy, which combines drugs and light therapy."
"Wear sunscreen and get a spray tan. You only get one skin and you should take care of it. Learn from other people's mistakes. Don't let tanning prevent you from seeing your children grow up. That's my biggest fear now that I have a two year old little boy of my own."
Skin cancer has impacted my family and friends several times. I hope that others see the harmful effects of UV Ray damage. Be sure to use that sunscreen and reapply every couple of hours...not just a touch up, but lather it on thick!