NHS worker reveals how badly she would deliberately burn herself to get tan

An NHS worker has shared a horrifying photo of how she would deliberately burn herself bright red to get a tan - as a warning to others after being diagnosed with skin cancer. Rachael Smith said she spent her teenage years intentionally 'burning to tan' by sizzling in the sun at her local beach or while on girl's holidays abroad and regrettably rarely used sun cream.

After wanting to enhance her tan even further, the mum-of-one admits she began using sunbeds three times a week aged 27 at the peak of her bronzed-skin addiction. Dramatic photos show Rachael's flesh turned bright pink on a girl's trip in a top that says 'made in UK, destroyed in Magaluf' aged 23 along with other sunburnt snaps from time spent cooking in the sun.

The now 35-year-old said she continued to use the tanning machines for two years and even applied tan accelerator before her sessions until she began to notice new freckles appear on her skin. But when her friend spotted an irregular 'raised' mole on her shoulder two months ago, she decided to go to the doctors to get it checked out.

After having the mole removed Rachael says she was diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer, which she believes was caused by her exposure to the sun growing up. Fortunately, Rachael says the diagnosis was caught in the early stages and she is now waiting for her final scan result to make sure the cancer hasn't spread.

However she says doctors have warned her not to go out in the sun between 11am and 3pm in the daytime for fear of further damage to her skin. Following her cancer diagnosis, she is now warning others to wear high-factor sun cream and avoid sunbeds as the risk is not worth it for a tan.

Rachael, from Bournemouth in Dorset, said: "They [the hospital] said my cancer was due to sun exposure. From 12 years onwards I would go to the beach on my own and I would think in order to tan you would have to burn.

"This sounds naive but I don't think I was ever properly schooled around sun cream at the time. I was very fair skinned and I burnt often. I thought it was a good thing to burn [as I thought this meant it would turn to tan].

"As I grew up I learnt that you don't need to burn to get a tan, so I started to use sun cream but I'd still be using a very low factor because seeing a bit of burn would make me feel like my skin was tanning. At 27 I started using the sunbeds too. I used to put tan accelerators on before I went on them and used to go on these three times a week religiously.

"This went on for about two years. I started noticing a lot more moles and freckles coming up and decided it was best then to stop using them and start applying a higher-factor sun cream. [Two months ago], I saw a mole come up on my shoulder, which was new. Looking back through my photos I think it looks about two years old but what I didn't notice is that it had changed.

"The hospital told me it was melanoma and was in the really early stages. Although this was not good news it was good to know it hadn't gone anywhere else. I felt sick hearing I had cancer.

"I have a 19-year-old son I need to be alive for and just the reality of it and the questions they asked me made me revisit how I applied suncream in the past and how often I let myself burn. Could I have done more for myself?

"The answer was yes. I felt like I had no one to blame but myself. The reality of it came crashing in. All the development of the freckles and moles coming up after using the sunbeds made me realise it's [all the sun exposure] is probably not good for you."

According to the NHS, melanoma is a type of skin cancer that can spread to other areas of the body and the main cause is ultraviolet light which comes from the sun and use of sunbeds. When Rachael discovered new moles growing on her skin aged 29, she says she began to apply high-factored suncream when exposed to the sun.

But after years of repeated sun exposure without wearing lotion, she claims she had already caused the damage to her skin which resulted in her melanoma diagnosis. Rachael says she has now been told by doctors to keep her time in the sun to a minimum and conduct monthly check-ups on her body for new moles or skin changes.

Rachael said: "The main thing that has upset me is how I now have to adjust sun exposure now. I'm an outdoor girl and now I don't know how I'm going to do all this while protecting myself [from the sun]. It's been a bit of a learning curve.

"They [the doctors] have told me to stay out in the sun between 11am and 3pm and if I am out in the sun I now need to make sure I'm applying sun cream which is a certain five-star UV standard and factor 30 and above. I need to wear tight-knit woven cotton clothes and have to stay under parasols.

"I think there needs to be more education on the topic of sun exposure from a younger age. It's a very common cancer but it's not talked about enough. I regret going on the sunbeds too. You want to see your kids grow up and going on a sunbed is not worth it for a little tan to feel good about yourself. You can get the same tan by using fake tan.

"If you notice any new moles or skin changes, I'd advise you to go and get these checked out. My melanoma has been caused by childhood sun exposure so we're talking about getting cancer 20 years down the line [because of this].

"My mole had all the characteristics. It was abnormal and raised at the back. Any changes on your body, you should get these checked out."