Woman Used Tanning Beds Weekly for 6 Years. At Age 22, She Mistook a Red Patch for Eczema, but It Was Skin Cancer

“I was very naive. I thought it would never happen to me,” Beth Brown said

NEED TO KNOW

• A woman received a skin cancer diagnosis at age 22 after not utilizing SPF and using tanning beds weekly for six years
• Beth Brown initially thought a small red patch on her skin was eczema before she learned it was cancer
• “I was very naive. I thought it would never happen to me,” the woman, now 30, said

A woman used tanning beds weekly for years and never wore SPF. In her early 20s, she was diagnosed with skin cancer.

Beth Brown regularly used tanning beds since 2018, when she was 22 years old, switching between utilizing them either twice a month or once a week. She would start by using them for six minutes, then eight, and eventually 20, according to SWNS.

On top of that, Brown, now 30, works as a flight attendant and would opt to sit out in the sun whenever she could during her travels.

“My mom never used sunscreen. Her generation was always frying in the sun, [so] I never really used it either, as it’s what I’d grown up with,” she said.

About two years ago, Brown noticed a small red patch on the side of her head that would become flakey and scab over. Because she had eczema as a child, she dismissed it as nothing to be concerned about.

However, once the patch started to get bigger and bleed, and became uncoverable by makeup, in October 2025, Brown knew she needed to seek medical attention.

Speaking with her boyfriend’s mom, a doctor, Brown was told that she could have basal cell carcinoma (BCC), which, according to The Skin Cancer Foundation, is the most common type of skin cancer.

Brown sought out a medical professional, and after tests, she was diagnosed with BCC. “If it wasn’t for her, I might never have gone to the doctors,” Brown said, referring to her boyfriend’s mother. “I was so shocked, I hadn’t realised the extent of what could happen from not wearing sunscreen and using sun beds.”

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Brown was subsequently put on a waiting list after her diagnosis to have the BCC removed. She waited six months for an appointment.

“I was so scared that it would grow while I was waiting for the appointment,” she recalled to SWNS.

Brown eventually underwent the procedure to remove the BCC this May. She chose to leave her wound open, rather than having a skin graft.

“I hadn’t [realized] how intense the healing process would be,” she said. “I’d told my work I’d be back the next day as I thought I’d just have a little stitch, but I walked out with a hole in my face.”

Brown — whose skin is now fully healed, but remains sensitive — has also stopped using tanning beds, now utilizes sunscreen and opts for shady spots instead of lying directly under the sun.

“I’m a sunshine baby at heart, but I make sure to look after my skin. I wear SPF every day now. I can’t imagine going outside without putting it on my face,” she said. “Being outside and getting vitamin D is so important, but just make sure you don’t fry. Sit in the shade, wear sun cream, wear a hat.”

Looking back, Brown admits, “I was very naive. I thought it would never happen to me. I definitely regret using sun beds now. When I was diagnosed with BCC, I felt so freaked out and also really stupid. I thought, ‘What have I done this to myself?’ I just want to help other girls and raise awareness that it is more common than you think, and it could happen to you.”

One person Brown has inspired already? Her own mom, who shaped her initial unhealthy tanning habits. Brown’s parent decided to go for a check-up after her daughter’s diagnosis, and she was also diagnosed with BCC. (Further details about that diagnosis are unclear.)