A mum-of-three has warned about the dangers of sun damage after skin cancer left her looking like she had been 'shot in the head'.
Sun worshipper Nickie Murtagh, 36, regularly used tanning beds and would sunbathe on holiday.
But after being diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma - a form of skin cancer - she now stays out of the sun and wears sunscreen every day.
Childminder Nickie first discovered a dry patch on her scalp, which soon turned into a cancerous lump.
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She successfully had it removed with a skin graft from her thigh, but is now left with a bald patch she feels self-conscious about.
In speaking out about her 'terrifying' ordeal, she hopes it will raise awareness of the importance of sun protection ahead of the summer months.
Nickie, a childminder from London, said: "When I was in my twenties I would use a lot of sunbeds.
"I went a couple of times a week and would go on for about eight to 12 minutes.
"I didn't exceed the recommended, so I didn't think too much of it.
"I would also avoid using sun cream, especially on my face, because I didn't want to stop myself from catching a tan.
"I thought that sun cream would stop me tanning, which I know now isn't the case.
"First of all, I noticed a dry patch on my scalp which eventually turned into a lump in my parting line.
"I went to the doctors to get it checked out but they told me it was fine and nothing to worry about.
"I then went on holiday to Tenerife and it got much worse. I was also getting bad melasma on my face and my tan was very patchy.
"My skin just didn't feel right at all."
After returning from her holiday, Nickie went back to the doctors where she says she was told, once again, that everything was fine.
But the lump on her head was making her self-conscious, so she decided to go back to the doctors because she wanted it removed whether it was cancer or not.
Nickie said: "The doctors told me it was a cosmetic procedure and I would have to pay for it. I got really upset and eventually, they sent a referral to the dermatologist.
"After an appointment with the dermatologist, they told me they thought it was cancer straight away and biopsied me there and then.
"While waiting for the results, my family stayed so positive and reassured me it was going to be fine and although the dermatologist thought it was cancer, I still wasn't really expecting it.
"Seven weeks later I received the results and I was told it was skin cancer - basal cell carcinoma.
"When I heard the C word I instantly felt like my world was ending and I was going to die. I worried about my kids and my family.
"It was terrifying.
"I was offered radiotherapy or surgery. I chose surgery because it was less invasive and avoids the side effects that come with radiotherapy.
"I just wanted it to be gone.
"So I had surgery to remove the cancer and a skin graft from my thigh which was successful and I was given the all-clear."
Nickie says that the skin graft was the worst part of her experience as her thigh would not stop bleeding.
After having the staples removed from the area that the lump was removed from, she says that it was so gruesome and shocking.
Nickie added: "It was awful. It looked like I had been shot in the head.
"And I was terrified to wash my hair and make it worse.
"My hair hasn't and won't grow back in that area because the skin is from my thigh.
"And I have also lost all feeling in it.
"I can't see it very well because it is on the top of my head, but it makes me feel self-conscious when I catch people staring at it or sometimes kids point it out.
"I try to use it to teach them a lesson to wear hats and sun cream.
"I also don't like to wear shorts because people can see the scar on my leg from the skin graft.
"I am so much more cautious in the sun now and I avoid sunbeds at all cost.
"I am much more educated about sun damage and sun protection. I always wear a hat and I have SPF on every single day of the year.
"The sun doesn't have to be hot to cause damage."
