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The next time you’re tempted to use a tanning bed, think again.
Judy Cloud, 49 from Indianapolis, IN wants you to remember her face before you think about laying in the sun all day – or hitting the tanning salon. The mom of two has been fighting skin cancer for more than two decades, and today she’s sharing the aftermath of her surgery.
Cloud has had more than 30 spots taken off in the last 20 years, the result of going to tanning salons and staying out too long in the sun when she was younger, she said. Now she’s warning people, both young and old, about the dangers of tanning.
“It’s frustrating to me when I see people — either teenagers, young adults or even women my age — who continue to tan all year round. I know what they’re doing to themselves,” Cloud said.
Her last surgery cost nearly $27,000, which isn’t something you have just lying around the house.
Cloud used tanning beds in her 20s, going once a week for three to four weeks several times a year before vacation to get a “base tan,” she said. She would also be outside as a child and lay in the sun with baby oil, not sunscreen.
Despite being thankful she does not have melanoma, the deadliest form of cancer, Cloud is sharing her story to help save lives.
“I can take care of my skin from here on out, but I cannot fix the damage I did when I was younger,” Cloud said.
Warning: Graphic images below.
[Via Today]
