Save Your Skin: Mags Murphy's Story

Mags Murphy, 45, from Dublin, Ireland spent years sunbathing without using any sun protection, she was also an avid sunbed user. Unfortunately after years of damaging exposure she has discovered she has pre-cancerous cells on her face and must undertake gruelling treatment to try and remove them. Mags has been prescribed a topical chemo cream which is applied daily at home.

She has decided to share her story via her Facebook page, Mags Murphys Journey where she has over 16,000 followers to date. As you know here at Fake Bake we are very passionate about sun safety and wanted to help share Mags story. We will be following her on her journey, here is her story so far.

(Taken from Mags Murphy’s Journey)

“Guess if your reading this you’ll know me, you’ll know how much I love sunshine you’ll know I’ve spent over a decade living in Crete tanning myself to “look good” thinking hey I’m brown I don’t need high sun factor.  I’ve spent summers doing sunbeds just for a tan in the Irish weather and a childhood running the streets all day with not a thought for sun factor.

Unfortunately all this lovely tanning has a price to pay cause now I have PRE cancerous cells on my face and have started treatment to remove them, I’ve to use a cream that’s going to burn them out apparently it’s quite painful and gruesome as the weeks go on but on the good side it should get rid of the cells and treatment and is only for a month. I’m sharing this to try and raise awareness to sun damage and using high factor sun lotion.

I heard all the warnings years ago and closed my eyes and ears to it all maybe someone will open their eyes to this if it’s closer to home.

I had visible marks on my forehead for about 8/9 years but because you could cover them with my hair they didn’t bother me, one doctor actually told me it was psoriasis, at one stage I was letting the sun at them because I heard it was good for psoriasis. They were constant little crusty spots that would never go away no matter what I put on them.”

Here is a gallery of Mag’s progress.

The importance of protecting your skin from sun damage is so important to us at Fake Bake, as we encourage you to save your skin and #FakeItDontBakeIt!