Most Aussie women are no stranger to tanning beds. When Summer winds down and the sun is perpetually hidden by clouds, losing our tans is the last thing we want.
But few of us actually know the real price of tanning.
27-year-old Tawny Willoughby didn’t either. When she was growing up in America’s Deep South, it was normal for girls her age to use tanning beds four or five times a week. She never even thought of what it might be doing to her skin.
“I had my own personal tanning bed in my home and so did a lot of my friends growing up … everyone tanned,” said Tawny, “I didn’t really even think about the future or skin cancer at the time.”
“I never thought about the future when I was in high school – I just tanned because it was normal to me.”
But it wasn’t long until reality set in. Tawny was just 21 when she was diagnosed with a skin cancer for the first time. And it wasn’t the last.
Since 21, she has had basal cell carinomas removed five times and a squamous cell carcinoma once, and more develop every year.
“I go to the dermatologist every six to 12 months and usually have a skin cancer removed at each check-up,” says the mother-of-one.
Tawny took this selfie just after her last skin cancer treatment and shared it online, but she had no idea the impact it would have.
Captioning it “If anyone needs a little motivation to not lay in the tanning bed and sun here you go! This is what skin cancer treatment can look like”, the picture depicts Tawny’s face covered in scabs and lesions after having a skin cancer treatment done.
Whilst gory, the selfie has been successful in raising awareness about exposing the reality of tanning – and Tawny couldn’t be happier.
“I’ve lost count of how many people shared it now and told me I’ve helped them,” says Tawny, “It’s really cool to hear people say they won’t tan anymore. I’ve had mothers thank me after sharing my pictures with their daughters. People in my hometown said they are selling their tanning beds.”
“Learn from other people’s mistakes,” she urges, “Don’t let tanning prevent you from seeing your children grow up.”
And for god’s sakes, “wear sunscreen and just get a fake tan”!
