The sun-kissed glow after a day spent soaking in the warm sunshine may be desirable for us all, but the story below will prove the importance of sunscreen and nurturing your susceptible skin.
The confidence many girls get with evenly bronzed skin has skyrocketed the tanning industry and tanning salons have sprung up in just about every shopping center. But how many countless cases of skin cancer will it take to teach people about the dangers of severe exposure to these harmful UV rays? Well one young woman, named Tawny Willoughby, has taken matters into her own hands.
At the tender age of 21, Tawny was first diagnosed with skin cancer. She frequented the local tanning salon up to five times a week, just during her high school years. Eventually the dangerous side effects caught up with her. Now 27 years old, Tawny has battled basal cell carcinoma five times and squamous cell carcinoma once.
She gets her skin checked every six to 12 months, which almost always results in a painful removal of another type of skin cancer. She posted a picture on her Facebook that shows her face after using a cream called Aldara. The side effects Tawny endures are absolutely horrific!
*WARNING* the picture presented below is graphic.
“If anyone needs a little motivation to not lay in the tanning bed and sun here ya go!” Tawny wrote. “This is what skin cancer treatment can look like. Wear sunscreen and get a spray tan. You only get one skin and you should take care of it.”
The mother of a 2-year-old toddler is fearful her irresponsible actions in the past will prevent her from seeing her children grow up. She used the Facebook post as a much-needed reality check for us all.
In the video below, artist Thomas Leveritt crafted an eye-opening way for people to see how the sun truly affects them. He shows each person how his or her skin looks under an ultraviolet light. So as we head into the warmer seasons, it’s time to stop and ask ourselves if that sun-kissed glow is really worth it.
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