Zara McDermott 'paying the price' with her health after making mistake

Love Island star Zara McDermott has said that she is now "paying the price" for the lifestyle she once had. She's urged fans to regularly check themselves for moles and shared that she has a form of skin cancer screening each year.

Zara, 28, has previously suggested that she feels the need to be "extra dilligent" with her skin after using sunbeds when she was younger. In an update this week, she's said that she used them "too much" and recalled having previously not applied "nearly enough" suncream when out in the sun.

The presenter wrote about her experience on Instagram this afternoon, telling her followers that she now has an annual appointment to monitor moles on her body. Zara admitted that she had delayed the latest one though.

She said: "Been putting this appointment off for a while but wanted to post this as a reminder to everyone to get their moles checked. I used sunbeds a fair amount when I was younger as well as didn't apply nearly enough suncream."

The reality TV star said that she is "now paying the price". She wrote in the post earlier that she has been noticing both moles and sunspots, particularly on her face, and encouraged others to keep an eye on any they may have.

She told her followers on the platform: "I'm now paying the price with moles appearing and sun spots especially on my face! I get a yearly check up on all my moles (it's called Mole mapping and I get it done at a place called the Mole Clinic!! It costs a few hundred pounds but I think it's definitely worth it for the peace of mind!!!)."

Zara added: "There's a piece of technology they use to map all the moles and monitor them year on year. Using sunbeds, even just once, increased your risk of melanoma substantially!! I didn't know this and definitely used them too much when I was younger. Check your body as often as possible."

According to the Daily Mail at the time, Zara expressed similar concern over her use of sunbeds in a post that she shared in 2022. She revealed to fans towards the end of that year that she had a mole removed from her stomach.

Zara wrote at the time: "A reminder to get your moles checked!!! I just had one removed from my stomach. I was putting it off for ages because I was really nervous (I'm a total wimp with needles) but it was actually totally fine!"

She added: "I used sunbeds when I was younger and I know that now I need to be extra diligent with my skin, and use high factor suncream in the sun and every day on my face. I've got a few more that I need to keep an eye on too!"

A new mole or a change in the appearance of an existing one "may be signs of melanoma," which is a type of skin cancer, according to the NHS. It adds that melanomas are "more common in areas that are often exposed to the sun".

The NHS says: "It's important to check your moles regularly for any changes." It also states: "UV light from the sun can increase the chance of a mole becoming cancerous. If you have lots of moles, you need to be extra careful in the sun."

The Macmillan Support Line offers confidential support to people living with cancer and their loved ones. If you need to talk, call us on 0808 808 0000.

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