Irish mother whose daughter died after using sunbeds issues stark warning

In an exclusive interview with an Irish mother from Kildare, who wishes to remain anonymous, she tells us just how dangerous sunbeds are following the tragic death of her eldest daughter.

The women sadly lost her 33-year-old daughter to melanoma skin cancer back in 2008 only a couple of months after she got married.

She emphasised that her daughter had used sunbeds before a sunny holiday which is particularly dangerous for the skin. But said "it's never ok to use sunbeds whatsoever."

She said that her daughter was "such a gorgeous girl...very intelligent...she had a lovely personality. She was a people's person, a lovely girl." 

She worked hard in her career and won team leader of the year as she was someone who took pride in the work that she did.

For the last 17 years, the mother has worked on raising awareness around the dangers of sun beds and sun exposure. 

READ NEXT: RIP: 'A pure gentleman'- Young Irish man 'died unexpectedly' as community in mourning

"This was a very daunting time for the family because we were never aware of melanoma before that...we had to learn the very hard way when you lose someone so dear."

She explained that her daughter was diagnosed with melanoma in 2006, two years before she sadly died.

"It was the first time I was aware that she had a changed mole on the side of her leg....she called into the house here and she just said she was getting this mole on her leg checked.

"She showed me and that was my first inkling of this change that was in the mole. Melanoma can lie dormant and can come later in life."

After the mole was checked she was referred straight away to a dermatologist who diagnosed her with malignant melanoma.

This required surgery to remove the mole and the surrounding area. "It can look absolutely daunting because it can take so much of the skin away."

She then said that her daughter had recuperated after the surgery and carried on her life as normal. She even went on to organise her wedding in 2007 and got married in June of that year.

"She was a Midsummer's bride. Everything was going really well, she moved into a new house in the November."

Around that time, however, the woman's daughter started feeling unwell again and her leg was giving her a bit of trouble.

She was brought to hospital in Dublin as the melanoma had perforated her liver and she tragically died shortly after in early 2008.

"Can you imagine like? Seven months after she was married that for her family, you know, she had three sisters and one brother who were all extremely close; that was very daunting and was very hard.

"The thing about melanoma is that you might look so healthy outside but it's what it does to your organs inside...this is where the crucial information comes about sun beds."

The Kildare mother said that over the years she has learned an awful lot about melanoma and has shared her expert knowledge on the matter to better inform people and create awareness for our readers. 

"It's never ok to use sunbeds whatsoever, but going back to the 90s, it was the thing; people used sun beds and they didn't know but now research has proved that they are lethal!"

She said that sunbeds should never be used by people because they increase your risk of skin cancer, burn your skin, cause age spots, pigmentation, freckles and can cause ageing and leathery skin.

She said the UV radiation from sunbeds are 10 to 15 times stronger than the actual sun.

"Tanned skin is damaged skin and there is no safe limit of exposure to UV," she said.

The women said that one of the main functions of the skin is to protect us from external factors such as bacteria, chemicals and temperature.

She offered sources to our readers who want to learn how to better protect their skin:

• The NCCP 
• The HSE
• Healthy Ireland
• Irish Skin Foundation
• The Irish Cancer Society

She also said that there is an online tool called 'The Fitzpatrick skin type scale' that can give you an overview of your skin type to determine the best way you can look after your skin.

She also emphasised that it's important to check the UV index on Met Eireann when spending time outdoors and if the UV index is more than 3 you should take extra care.

You should also cover up with clothing, sunglasses and of course sun skin as much as possible.