A semi-professional football player is calling on others to be more “proactive” in applying sun cream after he was diagnosed with skin cancer at the age of just 18.
Cammy Graham, from North Berwick in Scotland, first thought something could be wrong when a friend noticed he had a “dark” mole on his leg.
His “whole world changed” when it was revealed to be stage two melanoma – the less common form of skin cancer.
Luckily the disease was treatable with surgery and he now undergoes regular check-ups to ensure it hasn’t returned.
Cammy, now aged 20, admits to previously taking a “relaxed” attitude to his skin, spending lots of time in the sun and even using sun beds.
The Berwick Rangers player shared his story with Express.co.uk in the hope others will be more careful with their skin.
He said: “Prior to my diagnosis I had a really relaxed approach to protecting my skin.
“I was 18 years old, often out in the sun in summer with my mates, and stupidly, even did the odd sunbed.
“It was only when my best mate noticed a mole on my calf had gone dark and told me to get it checked that my whole world changed as I was then diagnosed with stage two melanoma.”
Melanoma is a less common type of skin cancer than non-melanoma.
It starts in cells in the skin called melanocytes, which are found in the deep layer of the epidermis between the layer of basal cells.
Melanocytes are responsible for creating a pigment called melanin that gives skin its natural colour and helps to protect the body from ultraviolet light (UV radiation) from the sun.
However, these cells can become damaged by UV radiation when a person gets sunburnt. Over time, this can lead to cancer.
Cammy continued: “I had surgery to have it removed, was bed-bound for a few weeks during recovery, plus had an agonising two month wait to find out if it had spread and whether I needed more treatment.
“The whole experience was shocking and completely terrifying for my family and me.
“I now see my GP every three months to be checked and I’m personally much more proactive with using SPF and checking myself regularly.
“I also encourage my mates to do the same.”
Cammy shared his story in line with a new campaign launched by Beavertown Brewery, with the backing of charity Melanoma UK, to encourage men to be more careful when spending time in the sun.
The brewery will be making its sun cream called Oil Your Neck available via dispensers in pub gardens, and anyone who buys a pint of their beer Neck Oil will be given free sachets.
This comes as alarming statistics showed only 16 percent of men in the UK wear sun cream, and 37 percent of Britons admitted to being burnt while sitting in pub gardens.
Just 21 percent of men said they take sunburn “seriously”.
Symptoms of melanoma skin cancer include the appearance of a new mole or an existing mole that changes size, shape or colour.
The NHS advises seeing a GP if you have:
- A mole that’s changed size, shape or colour
- A mole that’s painful or itchy
- A mole that’s inflamed, bleeding or crusty
- A new or unusual mark on your skin that has not gone away after a few weeks
- A dark area under a nail that has not been caused by an injury.
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