A mum is begging tanners not to use sunbeds after claiming nine years of using them left her with potentially deadly skin cancer.
Carrie Searcy, a mum-of-one, claims she was using sunbeds to tan up to three times a week from the age of 16 to 25, so she could achieve the 'model tan' she saw in magazines.
However, more than 10 years later, Carrie noticed a white 'waxy-looking' spot on her forehead and after at-home beauty treatments failed to rid of it, she visited her dermatologist.
The dermatologist gave the marketing specialist a biopsy and diagnosed her with basal cell carcinoma and scheduled her in for surgery just weeks later.
The six-hour long surgery removed a 10p sized chunk of her forehead to clear her of the cancer and has left Carrie with a four inch scar on her face.
Carrie, now 38, is sharing her story to advise strangers not to use sunbeds and putting themselves in risk of cancer just to appear more tanned
Carrie, from Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, said: "For nine years I was obsessed with looking as tanned as I could - I would go on sunbeds three times a week and never wear suncream.
"I would see models in magazines or on TV and think that was how tanned I needed to be, so would do whatever it took to get there.
"But then a couple of years ago I noticed a white spot on my forehead and it started to get bigger, whiter and waxy looking.
"I'd tried everything I could think of to treat it myself but I think deep down I knew what it was, so last month I went to see a dermatologist.
"She gave me the biopsy results and told me I had basal cell carcinoma and that I would have to have surgery on my face to remove it."
Having always been image conscious Carrie was left heartbroken that she would have a scar on her face.
She said: "The spot was about the size of my fingertip so I honestly thought the surgery would be fine, but the nurse told me that cancer is like an iceberg - it's always bigger under the surface.
"They ended up cutting out a chunk about the size of a quarter.
"They'd take the area they thought was the cancer spot and then check it under a microscope to see if there were any cancer cells connecting to the skin the left - they did that twice and after the second time they said it was all clear.
"When I saw the stitches I was terrified - I cried and cried because I realised just how big the scar was and, in turn, how much cancer there must have been.
"There are two layers of stitches in my wound and the top ones come out next week, whilst the ones underneath will dissolve.
"This whole experience has shown me that tanning isn't worth it - there are safer alternatives to achieve the tanned look and sunbeds or sun exposure are not necessary."
