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Media Drum WorldA self-confessed ‘diehard’ tanner who used tanning beds up to six times a week was left with a gaping hole in her nose after developing skin cancer.
When Rebekah Rupp from Morrison, Oklahoma, was in her teens and twenties, she loved the confidence that being tanned gave her and used tanning beds anywhere up to six times a week to achieve a healthy glow, despite people warning her of the dangers.
Now the 41-year-old admits she rarely took care of her face and just used wipes and pads to cleanse her skin. It wasn’t until five years ago when Rebekah started to work for a skin care company to earn some extra money that she discovered the importance of using an SPF.
Media Drum WorldIn August 2018 Rebekah noticed a dark spot had appeared on her cheek, so she went to her dermatologist in December to get it checked out. It was then the dermatologist noticed a white spot on the tip of Rebekah’s nose which he removed immediately and sent off for testing.
She explained:
I had a dark spot appear on my cheek, so I made an appointment with my dermatologist to have it looked at.
I was a diehard tanning bed tanner. In my earlier years, I tanned at least five to six times a week. I was told by others it was bad for me, but until it happened to me – I never listened.
I loved the way tanning made me feel. It relaxed me, it made me feel pretty, and it gave me a glow that I loved.
Media Drum WorldThe teacher was told that she had basal cell carcinoma skin cancer and she underwent Mohs surgery in June this year to remove the affected layers of skin.
Rebekah was left with a hole in her nose which doctors repaired with a flap of forehead skin, which attached a vein from the forehead to the nose. She wore the flap for four weeks before having her final reconstructive surgery in July.
She continued:
As soon as I went in for the dark spot, the dermatologist spotted a white looking mole on the tip of my nose. He asked me how long I had it, it had only been there for about two months or so, I thought it was just a pimple that wouldn’t go away.
He acted very concerned about the way it looked, and immediately removed it to send it off for results. I was very scared. Hearing the word cancer hurts. It’s the worst feeling in the world, because in the back of your mind you are thinking death.
Once I had the mole removed and sent off to be biopsied, I was then sent to a specialist in Oklahoma City that dealt with my procedure that needed to be done. The procedure is called the Mohs surgery, where they remove thin layers of cancer-containing skin and examine it until only cancer free tissue remains.
After they had removed all the skin cancer from my nose, I was sent to a reconstructive surgeon for surgery to repair my hole in my nose. The surgeon did a forehead flap where they take a vein that has good blood flow from the top of the head and they attach it to the nose. I wore the flap for four weeks and I then had another surgery to remove the flap from my nose.
Media Drum WorldFollowing on from her surgery, Rebekah still has some swelling but she’s sharing her experience to encourage others to use sun protection.
Since her surgery and skin cancer battle, Rebekah takes extra care of her skin, wears sunscreen every day without fail and wears a hat when she’s in the sun. She also makes sure her children are well protected and always have sunscreen in their bags.
She said:
Protect your skin while you have it. Don’t tan in tanning beds or expose your skin to sun exposure without using sunscreen and wearing protection on your head.
I now use Rodan + Fields every day, twice a day. I apply sunscreen in the mornings no matter what. When I go out in the sun, I apply sunscreen all over any skin showing. I also wear a hat when out in the sun.
My bag contains every sunscreen you can imagine from sprays to lotions. I lather my kids in sunscreen because they have a light complexion like myself. Both now carry sunscreens in their sport bags and are very consistent in putting it on.
Media Drum WorldNow Rebekah is urging everyone to protect their skin so they don’t have to go through a similar experience.
She said:
My first advice to everyone is wear sunscreen. If you can’t find a sunscreen, I can hook you up, but truthfully any sunscreen is better than none.
Also, make it a habit to go to the dermatologist at least once a year. If you have any concerns about any spots on your body, go get it checked out.
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Emma Rosemurgey is an NCTJ trained Journalist who started her career by producing The Royal Rosemurgey newspaper in 2004, which kept her family up to date with the goings on of her sleepy north east village. She graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and started her career in regional newspapers before joining Tyla (formerly Pretty 52) in 2017, and progressing onto UNILAD in 2019.