YOUTH DO NOT REALISE RISKS OF SUNBEDS

Mum's warning after son gets shock health diagnosis | Teen devastated as medics tell him nothing can be done

- RUTH SUTER

A MUM has issued a stark sunbed warning after her teenage son was diagnosed with stage 4 skin cancer.

Charlie Watson, from Lochmaben in Dumfriesshire, was diagnosed with nodular malignant melanoma after a mole appeared on his abdomen last summer.

The 19-year-old, who is a semi-professional footballer, noticed the irregularity on his skin after returning home from a boys' holiday in Magaluf.

The mole grew to about an inch in size before it peeled and fell from his body. Charlie, who plays for Queen of the South reserves, had the remainder of the growth removed in October 2023.

But when results came back from further lab examination, Charlie was told he had nodular malignant melanoma a dangerous and fast-growing type of skin cancer.

Recounting her son's devastating diagnosis, Amanda Woods, 41, told the Record: "It came as a shock to all of us. Charlie is a typical teenage lad and lives a very active lifestyle.

"When he was away in Magaluf, he burned quite bad and when he came back, a mole started to appear in his left abdomen. Over time, it grew and grew.

"Truthfully, we never thought for one minute this mole could have been malignant. Now we have been told there is no cure for this horrible disease."

Although the cause of Charlie's cancer has not been confirmed, Amanda says that after turning 18, he used sunbeds regularly and would often forget to use sun cream while abroad.

The mum of three said: "The mole appeared after he came back from holiday and he had been using sunbeds frequently at the time.