PHOTO Tess DeGayner

“The first day of my senior spring break, I laid out in the sun for three hours wearing baby oil and no sunscreen. I did this to try to get rid of my pale skin from the winter. My body swelled, my skin blistered and I got sun poisoning. I had to stay out of the sun for the first 7 days of the 16 days we were there. After having five cases of Basal Cell Carcinoma, the ‘good’ skin cancer, I have stopped going to tanning salons. I was diagnosed with skin cancer 10 years after my trip to Florida. There was a little blemish on my chest and for three months it would not go away, so I thought I would go to the dermatologist and have it checked. They cut a little bit of it out and had it tested and it ended up being skin cancer. Now I get body checks, once a year. Recently my skin was red from what I thought was showering, so I thought it was an irritation, it ended up being the cancer again. It saddens me that I cannot be tan. I love being in the sun, but the consequences of living a longer life and being here for my family are more important that having a tan. Wear sunscreen and stop going to tanning salons. Check your skin, if you have a sore or blemish that does not go away get it checked.”