Stephanie Worsop: Don't be an idiot like me, put on sunscreen

There is no reason not to be sunsmart. Photo / Getty Images

OPINION

If you saw me now, you would have a hard time believing I have olive skin.

In fact, I get mistaken for an English expat from time to time because of the fairness of my complexion.

But if you had seen me 10 years ago, my golden tan would have you thinking I spent all my time outside.

And I did. Sunbathing, swimming, tramping - from dawn until dusk every summer's day I would be outside basking in that searing New Zealand sun.

All without a drop of sunscreen.

I'd get burnt all the time but I would tell myself it was fine because my skin tanned; I was lucky enough to inherit my Italian mother's beautiful olive skin.

I have always had a few moles on my back and my mum would go blue in the face telling me to put sunscreen on but I was an arrogant teenager who thought she was invincible.

She said I would get skin cancer and could die, hoping to scare some sense into me. But again, I didn't care because I didn't think something like that could ever happen to me.

I was an idiot.

A few years later I noticed one of the bigger moles on my back had grown.

It played on my mind for a few days. I thought it would be nothing but a voice in the back of my head kept reminding me how often my back had been exposed to our harsh sun.

So I booked an appointment to get it checked.

The doctor agreed it was not a healthy-looking mole, saying it needed to be cut out and tested for melanoma.

He then pointed out two more on my back and said those should be removed too.

Three moles on the verge of being melanoma were cut from my body at 21.

That was enough to scare me into being sunsmart from that day on.

This week we have run stories about Bay of Plenty people who are either fighting melanoma or had lost their battle with the disease.

It's a timely reminder to not take the dangers of the sun lightly.

In my case, a lot of damage has already been done so I now also get my moles regularly checked to ensure if any more have the potential to develop into melanoma, I catch them as early as possible.

It's not cheap. But that's the price I am willing to pay to make up for every day I made the stupid decision not to wear sunscreen.

Don't be an idiot like me, make sure every day you spend in the sun, the decision you make is the smart one.