Guest blog: Tracey Van Weelde

Your Beauty Spot spoke with Tracey Van Weelde, a Sydneysider who recently suffered from a skin-cancer scare, about what she wishes she did differently to avoid developing skin cancer.

It all started when I noticed a brown spot on my nose in the mirror one morning which hadn't seen before, but I dismissed it as just being a freckle that I had never noticed. I mentioned this to a friend of mine who also experienced a skin-cancer scare and she made sure that I booked in to see a dermatologist straight away.

The dermatologist took one look at the mysterious spot and diagnosed it as a potential skin cancer if I did not immediately have surgery to remove it. I remember her mentioning the word "cancer" and feeling completely shell-shocked. I called my husband in tears and booked the surgery straightaway.

I had the cancerous mole removed and there was a large scar at first but it has since healed very well and it's a small price to pay. I now make sure that I have regular mole checks every three months and that I wear SPF30+ every day. My family and friends get sick of hearing me nagging them to wear SPF30+ but they have learned from my experience and do it every day now.

Skin cancer is still so prevalent. Studies such as one done recently by Olay have shown one in two Australian women are affected by skin cancer; that's mothers, sisters and best friends who are dying unnecessarily early.

Learn from my experience —which could have been so much worse. Stay out of the sun as much as you can, wear SPF30+ every day and reapply throughout the day, especially on areas you may not realise are exposed to the sun — like your forearm when you are driving or the back of you neck when you are out walking the dog. Make sure that you are around for your family and friends longer by paying just a little extra attention to protecting your skin.