A self-confessed “sunbed addict” was diagnosed with melanoma at just 22 after insisting doctors remove a suspicious mole.
Ellie Shaw started using tanning beds when she was 19 because she wanted to feel more confident about her naturally pale skin.
Spending 15 minutes almost every day for three years, despite knowing there were risks, lash technician Ellie is now filled with regret after her terrifying diagnosis.
“I was very addicted to sunbeds,” Ellie from, Kettering, Northamptonshire, told Need To Know.
“I knew the risks but I ignored them because sunbeds made me feel good.
“I’m very pale naturally so I wanted a nice tan and to feel better about myself.
“I noticed the mole on my back, darker than my others, in early 2025.
“I knew something wasn’t right so I booked a doctors appointment straight away.”
The mole eventually developed a scab.
Although she says doctors initially reassured her there was nothing to worry about, Ellie, now 23, trusted her instincts and pushed to have the mole removed.
A month later, in April 2025, she received devastating news that it was stage 1A melanoma.
Ellie said: “The doctor said it was nothing to worry about so I left it for a few weeks then I noticed a scab forming on top of the mole.
“I knew something wasn’t right.
“ I went back to the doctor and they said they weren’t concerned but they referred me to get it removed.
“I wanted the mole off my body.
“I went to the clinic to get it removed and they were trying to convince me not to have it removed because it would leave me with a scar.
“I asked them to take it off and a month later they said it was melanoma.
“I was in shock.”
Doctors later told her that if she had left it any longer, the outcome could have been very different.
Ellie said: “I thought I wasn’t going to make the next two years of my life.
“I was so lucky because it was stage 1A.
“The doctor said if I’d left it any longer then it would have been a different story and they could have been telling me I had two years left to live.
“Once it goes past stage 1, it starts spreading across your body and it will kill you.
“I’m so blessed I’ve got another chance.”
Following the diagnosis, Ellie underwent a second operation to remove a larger section of tissue around the original mole site to make sure no cancer cells remained.
Now left with a large scar after surgery, Ellie is urging others to avoid sunbeds altogether and believes they should be banned.
She said: “I’ve got a fat scar on my shoulder.
“It’s never-ending because once you’ve been on the sunbeds, the damage is done.
“I really regret using them.
“If I could talk to my 19-year-old self, I’d warn her how dangerous they are and tell her not to use them.
“It’s not worth the risk.
“I’m so careful when I’m out in the sun now and still have skin checks.
“I think they should be banned and I want people to think before they start using sunbeds.
“People don’t realise how dangerous they are.”
She is also urging anyone worried about a changing mole to trust their instincts.
Ellie added: “If you ever have a gut feeling that something isn’t right, don’t ignore it.
“I’m so grateful I didn’t listen when they tried to persuade me not to have the mole removed.
“I actually don’t know where I’d be today if I hadn’t trusted myself.
“Going with your gut feeling could save your life.”
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