We never really think about the dangers of tanning when we’re young. A woman in the U.K. is now speaking up about the dangers of tanning after developing an aggressive form of skin cancer in her left ear. Anthea Smith ended up having to have her whole inner ear, middle ear, salivary glands lymph nodes and temple bone removed.
Anetha said her tanning habit started when she was young. She was addicted to having a tan. She said she used tanning beds to get faster results.
Six years ago, she began to notice a flesh-colored growth in her ear. Doctors misdiagnosed it as a wart at first, but it soon became a black and brown mass that began spreading and bleeding whenever she touched it.
Her diagnosis was stage 3 melanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer. The following year she underwent two different operations and then many radiation treatments.
She said the guilt of putting her family through all of this was overwhelming. Thankfully, she’s alive to warn others of the dangers of tanning.
Caution, the video below is pretty graphic.
Photo: Getty Images