A woman is sharing graphic photos to Facebook in a bid to warn others against sun bed use and urging them to use sunscreen.
Judy Cloud, who has been battling skin cancer for years, posted graphic images of her face post-operation to Facebook and they quickly went viral, clocking up more than 102,000 shares.
The 49-year-old shared a series of photos documenting her painful recovery from her most recent operation.
"I had my fourth surgery to remove cancerous spots," she wrote. "The skin cancer keeps coming back. This was the most invasive skin cancer surgery I’ve had yet."
Judy Cloud, shortly after surgery
"I had a three-hour surgery, and I was under general anaesthesia. I spent two hours in recovery. I had 23 places surgically removed in one day - ten by excision (meaning I had ten places on me that had stitches) and thirteen by laser."
She also described, in detail, the aftermath of the operation - including how long she had to take off of work and how difficult it is for her to chew.
Cloud explained that she had been careless when it came to tanning earlier in her life.
"This is the result of using tanning beds when I was younger. This is the result of having numerous sunburns as a child and teen, and not being religious about applying sunscreen, and staying out in the sun far too long as a teen and into my 20’s and even early 30’s."
She also said it pained her to hear people abusing the sun. "I hear too many people say that they feel better about how they look after they go to a tanning bed or after they bake in the sun for hours on end. Look at the pictures. This could be you.
"Anyone can get skin cancer, even people who have darker skin tones. It is a misconception that only fair-skinned people can get skin cancer. Skin cancer doesn’t discriminate."
Facebook users have thanked her for her honesty.
"A very powerful story and photos. An extremely important topic, thank you for sharing," wrote one.
Another added: "Sorry that you had to go through all of that, Glad you are sharing this with others so they will know and maybe hit home for some of them. You are truly a wonderful person."