A Scottish woman has issued a stark warning after a year of using sunbeds in her youth led to a devastating skin cancer diagnosis decades later.
From Golden Glow to Cancer Diagnosis
Stacey Galifskiy, now 39 from Fife, always knew her pale skin and red hair made her vulnerable in the sun. However, at the age of 19, the tattoo artist sought a permanent "golden glow" and began using sunbeds weekly for roughly eight minutes at a time, ignoring warnings from loved ones.
After a year, she stopped and became extremely vigilant, using factor 50 sunscreen and seeking shade. Yet, the damage was already done. In 2021, a friend she hadn't seen for seven months pointed out that a mole on her forehead had changed colour and looked 'angry'.
The Painful Road to Recovery
Referred to a dermatologist by her GP, tests confirmed her worst fear: melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer. Medical professionals suggested a link to her brief sunbed use years prior.
Stacey underwent four operations to remove the initial mole, followed by a further nine surgeries to remove seven other moles from her forehead, cheek, ear, stomach, leg, and buttock. Three were early-stage skin cancers, while the others were actively growing moles with the potential to become cancerous.
"The first two operations were ok, but the last two were really painful," she recalled. "I had a lot of tingling and pain across my scalp for months afterward."
Living in Fear and Finding a Solution
The experience triggered severe health anxiety. "My body became my enemy. I counted my moles limb by limb and took photos of them all," Stacey said. "I got diagnosed with health anxiety. It was so debilitating."
Her turning point came with private mole mapping treatment, which annually flags any changes. "Mole mapping has taken away so much of my anxiety and helped me stop being afraid of my body," she stated. "I now feel like I enjoy life again, instead of being fearful of the future."
A Soaring Public Health Concern
Stacey's case highlights a growing crisis. Melanoma accounts for four out of five skin cancer deaths, yet only one per cent of total cases. Rates in the UK are predicted to soar by a fifth in just two years.
An estimated 17,600 new melanoma cases are diagnosed in the UK annually—around 48 every day. Experts attribute most cases to ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun and sunbeds.
Key risk factors include:
- Pale skin that burns easily.
- Red or blonde hair, blue or green eyes.
- A large number of freckles or moles.
- Significant sun exposure or sunbed use.
- A family history of the disease.
Medical advice is to check skin regularly for unusual changes, looking for moles with uneven shapes or edges, a mix of colours, or those larger than 6mm wide.
"I don't think sunbeds should be allowed, to be honest," Stacey concluded. "There definitely needs to be more information and clearer warnings out there on how it affects you long term."
