Page 2 of 2

There are three types of skin cancer. Basal cell and squamous cell are the two most common. They are easily treated and rarely fatal. Malignant melanomas are the most aggressive kind of skin cancer.

Mine was caught in the very early stages, but if they are allowed to spread they become deadly, claiming 1,500 lives in Britain each year.

I had to wait six weeks for my original scar to heal before the surgeon could go back and cut more flesh round the original incision to double check that they had got all of the melanoma. It has left me with a two inch scar. I also had a mole removed from my scalp as a precaution but luckily both samples turned out to be benign.

I had to have pictures taken so that doctors could monitor the appearance of my other freckles.

Now, as sun worshippers in Lancashire are stripping down to catch the most of the summer sun, I am spraying sun lotion on each morning to protect my skin and psyching myself up for my next checkup in a couple of weeks time. I feel thankful that it was caught in time, but there is always a paranoia that won't go away.

I need to have check ups at hospital every three months and as I lie there, with the surgeon pressing my legs and stomach to check my glands, a feeling of dread conquers me just in case he finds anything.

Skin cancer is the second most common cancer in the UK. In Lancashire alone there were 1,154 new cases of skin cancer last year out of the 40,500 new cases in Britain. Around 6,000 of these are malignant melanomas.

People most at risk from melanomas are, like me, blue eyed, fair haired or red haired, fair skinned, and freckled, who tan with difficulty and burn in the sun. But people with a high number of moles and a history of skin cancer in two or more members of family are also at risk. The most common place for them to occur in women is on the legs, and in men on the back and trunk.

It is a fad that a tan is a sign of health.

It is actually a sign that the skin has been damaged by UV radiation causing a substance called melanin to rush to the surface to protect the skin from the next dose of radiation.

It causes the skin to age, and I have seen many young girls on the streets of Preston with skin that looks like tan leather and as tough as old boots.

Malignant melanomas are on the increase. Don't take chances with your skin - it really isn't worth it.

I know.

Do you have a story about the regional press? Ring 0116 227 3122/3121, or
e-mail pastill@nep.co.uk