Former avid sunbed user who had skin cancer twice urges people to use fake tan and sunscreen

Gill Costelloe said her whole life has been affected as she urged people who assume skin cancer is not serious to think again.

A woman who regularly used sunbeds got diagnosed with skin cancer twice - which spread to her hip, leaving her unable to cycle - is now urging people to use fake tan and stay safe in the sun.

Gill Costelloe said her whole life has been affected as she urged people who assume skin cancer is not serious to think again.

“Mine was caught early but still spread to my liver, my lung, my breast, my stomach, my abdominal cavity and my hip bone,” she said.

“I nearly died and spent three months in hospital. I’m very, very lucky to be here today to tell my story.”

The Dubliner, now 45, is one of 11,500 people diagnosed with skin cancer in Ireland every year, the most common cancer here.

In 2016, a friend spotted a mole on her back. This turned out to be Stage One melanoma and was removed. However, in 2021, she fainted a number of days in a row and doctors found the cancer had come back and spread.

In 2016, a friend spotted a mole on Gill Costelloe's back. This turned out to be Stage One melanoma and was removed.

She called on people to be aware of health risks that she had not understood herself.

“I used sunbeds and spent years sunbathing to get a tan to look healthy but, ironically, I’m far from healthy now,” she said.

“I did sunbeds when I was younger before I’d go on a sun holiday so I wouldn’t burn. It's no wonder I got skin cancer.

“I was an avid cyclist and never once considered the damage I was doing to my body being out on the bike for hours on end with no sunscreen.”

She still faces serious challenges even though she recently had her first clear scan. 

"I’m still living from scan to scan, and I will always have that fear of it coming back again," she said, explaining she continues to take a tablet-based chemotherapy.

“Now I’m afraid to get back on the bike in case I have a crash and end up in a wheelchair, as I have cancer in my hip bone. It kills me that I can no longer do what I love,” she said.

She still loves being outdoors - while wearing a hat - but said: 

I wear SPF every day now, even when it’s cloudy. There are some great fake tans available now too, which I love.

Irish Cancer Society cancer prevention manager Kevin O’Hagan said: “Nearly nine out of every 10 cases of skin cancer are caused by UV rays from the sun or sunbeds. Sun safety is vital and that means protecting your skin, wherever you are, home or abroad”.

He advised watching for changes to moles or other changes such as rough and scaly patches on the skin.  

Contact the Irish Cancer Society Freephone: 1800 200 700