Ex-tanning addict warns Gen Z of sunbed dangers after getting skin cancer twice
An ex-tanning addict who started using sunbeds aged 15 is warning Gen Z of the dangers of sun-kissed skin after getting skin cancer twice.
Lisa Costello, 43, got hooked on tanning booths from a young age and spent her mid-20s going to top her tan two to three times a week.
It was only when she lost her dad, Geoff, 59, to melanoma that she stopped using them.
But it was too little too late for the driving instructor who was diagnosed with skin cancer twice herself - in 2018 and 2021.
Now she's "terrified" for the younger generation who she says are being "brainwashed" on TikTok with people advertising products - like creams and nasal sprays - which burn the skin faster.
Lisa, from Colchester, said: "I was addicted to being tanned.
"The moment I didn't have it on I felt ill.
"It's a death sentence.
"Think about your future self - make sure you are not damaging your skin.
"It will come back and bite you on the arse - it did for me."
Lisa has been diagnosed with skin cancer twice (Image: SWNS)
Lisa said she turned to sunbeds aged 15 as it was a "trend at school".
She said: "I hated being really pale and fake tan was shocking back then.
"In my 20s I would go two to three times a week - and sometimes a 20 minute bed.
"I think that's when most of the damage was done."
When Lisa's dad found a mole - which was diagnosed as melanoma in 2011 - she had a wake up call.
Lisa became addicted to sunbeds in her teens (Image: SWNS)
Sadly in June 2015 he fell ill and doctors found the cancer had spread to his brain and he died in November of the same year.
Lisa was then very conscious of her own skin but was still addicted to tanning and would go on holiday and lie in the sun without using high SPF.
But in December 2018 she was diagnosed with melanoma herself.
She said: "I found a mole I didn't like so went to GP. They referred me to a dermatologist and two weeks later it was taken off.
"I waited six weeks for the results - it was melanoma (stage 1)."
Lisa Costello, 43, an ex-tanning addict who started using sunbeds aged 15 has warned of their dangers after getting skin cancer twice (Image: Lisa Costello / SWNS)
Following a wide local excision surgery - which removes an area of diseased tissue - she was given the all-clear in January 2019.
But in February 2021, Lisa noticed another change in her skin and went to GP and was diagnosed with skin cancer again.
Luckily she was able to catch it early.
Since then she's had a further nine moles removed that have all been benign.
She said: "I have 11 scars on my body - all from melanoma.
"By the time I'm 60 I'll have loads."
Lisa has since launched her own fake tanning product and is now relaunching it in May - and is passionate about raising awareness of the damage of UV rays.
She has been terrified to see the rise of young people taking up sunbeds and products being advertised on platforms such as TikTok.
She said: "It's being glamourised.
Lisa is hoping to teach people about the dangers of sunbeds (Image: SWNS)
"There are 15 or 16 year old kids being lured in. They are being brainwashed.
"There are lives selling acceleration creams and nasal sprays to speed up the tanning process.
"It's speeding up burning.
"These lives - it's like selling cigarettes online. You wouldn't do that."
Follow Lisa on Instagram @mrsctan_
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