Jo Irving admits she was ‘addicted to being brown’ even when she was 9 months pregnant (Picture: rossparry.co.uk)
A 32-year-old self-proclaimed tanorexic was diagnosed with skin cancer after an 18 year sunbed habit that continued even when she was nine months pregnant.
Jo Irving from Blackpool first used a sunbed when she was 14-years-old and at the height of her UV addiction, was using them 5 times a week. She confesses she was ‘addicted to being brown’.
But, she’s vowed never to set foot in a tanning salon again after being diagnosed with skin cancer last year.
According to the MailOnline, Jo first noticed a ‘pearly white boil’ on the side of her nose 4 years ago. Despite the fact the lump never healed and even started bleeding, she admits it didn’t give her cause for concern.
And when she mentioned it to her doctor in April 2012 during a routine antenatal appointment while she was pregnant with her son Riley, he just told her to ‘see how it goes’, advising her to return if she saw any changes.
She didn’t return until March the following year when tests showed the mark was a basal cell carcinoma – a form of skin cancer.
After surgery to remove the ‘rodent ulcer’ and a skin graft to repair the damage, which initially didn’t take and left her with a gaping hole in her face, Jo is now free of cancer and only has a small scar left to remind her of her ordeal.
But, the trauma of her experience has seen her swear off sunbeds for good, as has the advice from her doctor, who told her: ‘I don’t know what your relationship with the sunbeds is but I suggest you never use one again.’
More information on basal cell carcinoma can be found on the British Skin Foundation website
