The Atypical Mole I Almost Ignored — Melanoma at 23

By: Sophie

In Colorado, June is finally the time of year when warmer weather arrives. People start spending more time outside, enjoying the mountains, trails, and natural beauty our state has to offer. While many of us are soaking up the sunshine, only a fraction are adequately protecting their skin.

I was one of those people.

I was someone who always said, “I don’t need sunscreen,” and would decline it even when friends offered me their own. I wanted to look tan and healthy. The people around me always seemed far more concerned about my skin than I was. At the time, I never understood why.

For two years, I also frequented tanning salons. Like many people my age, all I cared about was getting more bronzed, especially with summer approaching. I visited tanning beds three times a week, give or take, for nearly two years.

What I didn’t know was that using a tanning bed even once increases your risk of developing melanoma by about 20%. For people under 35, that risk increases dramatically.

Even if someone had told me those statistics, I’m not sure I would have stopped. Like many young adults, I believed it would never happen to me. I was young, healthy, and had never experienced any major health problems.

I was wrong.

The atypical mole I ignored before my melanoma diagnosis

Earlier this year, I got my skin checked for the first time. Sitting in a hospital gown in the middle of the exam room was intimidating. I didn’t know what to expect. I had noticed that one of my moles had become darker over time, but I assumed that was normal. Bodies change, right? I simply didn’t know any better.

The mole didn’t look alarming to me at the time. Looking back now, I’m grateful I trusted my gut and had it checked.

My provider decided to perform a shave biopsy on the mole I had been worried about. Just hearing the word “biopsy” was enough to make my stomach churn. I had walked into that appointment believing I was essentially immune to serious health issues, including skin cancer.

A week later, the results came back: melanoma in situ.

My provider encouraged me not to spiral and specifically told me not to start searching WebMD. For once, I listened. She explained that the good news was that we had caught it early, before it had the chance to spread. Early-stage melanoma has an extremely high cure rate, and I was incredibly fortunate that mine had been detected when it was.

I managed not to cry during the phone call, which I was proud of. The second the call ended, though, I burst into tears.

My surgery was scheduled for the following day.

I was terrified going in, but the staff immediately put me at ease. My provider walked me through every step of the procedure. After my arm was numbed with lidocaine, I couldn’t feel a thing.

Oddly enough, the surgery itself wasn’t nearly as frightening as I had imagined. They played music I liked, and we spent the entire procedure talking and laughing. It felt less like surgery and more like spending time with a group of people who genuinely cared about me.

When it was over, my arm was bandaged, I was given aftercare instructions, and I went home to heal.

This was my arm immediately after surgery.

A few weeks later, my stitches were removed. My provider told me everything was healing beautifully.

Today, the scar is still healing and remains visible, though it has improved significantly since surgery. This is one month after surgery.

People occasionally ask what happened. It’s uncommon to see someone my age with a surgical scar on their forearm, and when they do, I tell them this story.

Most importantly, I tell them not to tan.

Growing up, many of my friends tanned, whether outdoors or in tanning beds. For years, I assumed the sun was the bigger threat because I constantly heard terms like “sun damage” and “UV radiation.” I associated those dangers exclusively with sunlight.

What I didn’t realize is that tanning beds can be even more dangerous. They emit highly concentrated UVA radiation that can be significantly stronger than natural sunlight. Despite the risks, tanning salons remain widely accessible, often located near college campuses where the pressure to look tan and “healthy” is especially strong.

How a skin check caught my melanoma early

Since my diagnosis, I’ve been very open about my experience because I don’t want someone else to learn this lesson the way I did.

I’ve encouraged all of my friends to schedule skin checks, especially those who have never had one before. You never know what could be hiding in plain sight.

I was lucky, but many people aren’t.

If you’ve been putting off a skin exam, consider making the appointment. It could be one of the most important decisions you make for your health.

Schedule a Full Body Skin Exam with Vanguard Skin Specialists today.

Tanning beds and skin cancer: common questions

Can one tanning bed session cause skin cancer?

Using a tanning bed even once is associated with a roughly 20% increase in melanoma risk, and the risk climbs with each session and is highest for people who start before age 35. There is no safe number of tanning bed visits, because each exposure to concentrated UV radiation adds cumulative damage to your skin. (Source: American Academy of Dermatology / Boniol et al., BMJ 2012.)

Are tanning beds more dangerous than the sun?

Tanning beds can be more dangerous than natural sunlight because they emit highly concentrated UVA radiation that is often significantly stronger than the sun. Because tanning beds deliver that intense exposure directly and repeatedly, they carry a serious skin cancer risk that many people underestimate.

What are the early warning signs of melanoma?

A mole that changes in color, size, or shape is one of the most common early warning signs of melanoma. In my case, a mole that slowly grew darker was the only clue. Any new, changing, or unusual spot is worth having a dermatologist examine, especially if you have a history of tanning.

When should you get a skin check?

You should schedule a skin check if you have ever used tanning beds, have noticed a new or changing mole, or have never had a full-body skin exam. Catching melanoma early, before it spreads, gives it an extremely high cure rate. If you’re in Colorado, you can request a full-body skin exam with Vanguard Skin Specialists today.