This is Clare, who is 26.
Sorry, was 26: She died this morning from skin cancer caused by solarium use.

Please click and read her story in the paper today:

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22410791-2,00.html

A former solarium junkie, Clare Oliver died from aggressive melanoma. Before she died,  she wrote a very moving, if-you-use-solariums-you’re-stupid-cause-I-did-and-was-grossly-uninformed-about-their-strength-and-dangers, letter, which will serve as her legacy to those she can save from a similar fate.

In case you didn’t know, solariums emit both UVA (ageing) and UVB (burning) rays, which means they are just like lying in the sun, but of course, you don’t wear your 30 plus in the solarium, do you? No. You don’t. So really, you’re just laying there, utterly exposed to skin-cancer causing rays. And really, what could be more stupid than lying in a box getting aged and burnt? (Hint: Not much.)

For the  sake of your own intelligence, (and, well, life) if you go to, or know anyone that goes to, a solarium, please stop. They are an incredibly dangerous device and as our government are too slack to correctly regulate them, (why they still exist at all baffles me and don’t get me started on that mess of a TV show, Sunset Tan) I’m gonna take over the Serious Reins and plead that you buy a nice bottle of Garnier self-tanner instead of frying your skin in a box. Please, no more cancer boxes, fruits. Please.

But of course it’s not just solariums that cause skin cancer, fruits.

A few weeks back, a friend of mine emailed me asking me to post this email, as she discovered a skin cancer on her face at the age of 27. I was going to save her email for summer, but I’m sure I can find another tale to scare you with later on, so here goes:

"Wanted to raise something with you in hope that you might do a little mention on your blog or something? It’s not work-related but rather personal. I found out earlier in the week I have a skin cancer on my face and it’s really brought to light the need to be regularly checking your skin for any new marks. Our Aussie culture is such that we obviously are a little more prone to sun damage and skin cancers, so I wanted to be sure that all of those lovely ladies out there don’t dismiss the seriousness of getting regularly checked.

I knew skin damage would be an issue for me but never thought I would be so young. Treatment these days is pretty painless but the longer you leave the spots the more sever the cancer becomes. We gots to nail those buggers early on!"

She’s dead right, of course. We gotta get more aware, fruits. Skin cancer can hit us in our 20s. It’s ain’t just a symptom of people who lived in the oil-and-foil era. It can bite any of  us on the ass in this outdoorsy country with its nasty, strong sun.

It’s easy to protect yourself: Wear that broad spectrum 30 plus on your face and hands (and body in summer) each day, (after your face cream; under your makeup) even if you’re only going to be in the sun for 20 minutes while you walk outside to buy your tuna sanga.

Sorry to run around with my lecture pantaloons on fruits, but making sure my readers are sun aware is an enormous part of my job, (and not just because it is the NUMBER ONE cause of premature ageing) and my personal life, too.

And after reading the stories of these young fruits, it’s kind of worth it to get your skin-checked and wear sunblock, you know?

As for the solariums, well, I think you know my stance on them.