A picture that may be hard to look at includes a message that is going viral.
Skin cancer survivor Tawny Willoughby posted a selfie on Facebook during her treatment for basal and squamous cell carcinoma. Willoughby wanted to show her face bloodied with scabs and blisters to deter friends and family from using tanning beds and to encourage them to wear sunscreen.
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Willoughby was diagnosed at 21 with skin cancer. She says she used a tanning bed four to five times a week during high school.
Now 27 and a mother, she hopes her story will save lives.
The picture has been shared nearly 50,000 times on Facebook.
The American Academy of Dermatology says one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime.
Exposure to tanning beds increases the risk of melanoma, which is the deadliest form of skin cancer.
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