My Article in Men's Health Magazine

This article was published in the Men's Health magazine (UK) - March 2000

"I'd advise anyone to think twice about going all-out for a tan"

For as long as he can remember, Jason Thomas had a 'nodule' under his right eye. 'It started as a small spot but got steadily bigger as I grew older until it became a cyst half a centimetre in diameter and a bit raised,' recalls the 28-year-old Essex computer programmer. As a teenager he was self-conscious about it, and it also became an irritant. 'It was the sort of thing you see on old people - a bit unsightly. I wear contact lenses and have to pull my eyelid down, which was difficult with the cyst. But I'm not big on operations, so I didn't do anything for a while.' He made his mind up while on holiday in Antigua two years ago. 'It suddenly became itchy, really uncomfortable, and started bleeding.'

On his return Jason's doctor advised him to have the cyst removed as soon as possible. 'When I came round from the anaesthetic, the cyst had been replaced by several stitches and a flap-fold, which eventually healed, leaving a small scar,' he says. It seemed the cyst's removal was the end of the matter but a month later his doctor told him the cyst had turned out to be a 'rodent ulcer'. 'It's cancerous, I'm afraid - basal cell skin cancer - quite rare in someone as young as you,' the doctor told him. 'We cut out quite a large lump of skin, so it shouldn't recur in the same place, but it may recur in other areas of your body.'

Skin cancer Symptoms: Changes in moles: an increase in size, formation of bumps or blotches, or black colouring, the formation of a red halo and bleeding. Swollen lymph nodes. Risk Factors: A sun-hungry life is risky because skin cancer is primarily caused by UV rays. Childhood sunburns are especially dangerous. Dermatologists also warn against solariums, which raise UV doses. Treatment: Removal of the melanomas, sometimes the amputation of entire limbs. Prevention: Don't bake in the sun. Do use a sun-cream with a high protective factor. Children and fair-skinned adults should take extra care. For early recognition, check new or changed birthmarks/moles and show them to a dermatologist.

'I was shocked,' Jason recalls. 'All I could think of was the word 'cancer' and I walked away in a daze, feeling pretty upset - my family and girlfriend were also cut up. It was only when I researched the subject on the Internet that we began to feel more reassured.'

He no longer requires anything more than an annual check-up but is more careful with the sun these days. 'The specialists say it could have been set off by high sun exposure while I was on holiday, but I think what contributed was the fact that I burnt easily but would always try to get a tan on holiday, ever since childhood, and we'd usually visit hot countries. I have lots of moles and my skin is not used to the sun, both factors that could spell danger.
'I wouldn't say stay out of the sun, because sunlight itself can be good for you. But I'd advise anyone to think twice about going all-out for a tan.'