'Could have lost an eye': NSW mum's skin check warning

Mum-of-two Terri Hahipene, 34, admits she used to take advantage of the solariums when she ran a tanning salon in Sydney when she was younger.

But she never thought they would lead to an invasive kind of skin cancer that would see her undergo a gruelling surgery while she was awake - and lead to a permanent scar.

It was only by chance Hahipene, from Helensburgh, NSW, even caught the skin cancer on her face, four years ago.

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"My mum looked at my face, and said, 'You should get that checked out," she told 9Honey.

"It was a tiny little bump you wouldn't take a second look at. I was pregnant and I didn't have time.

"I didn't think of it again. Eight months went by and I got a text from my skin cancer clinic that I was due for a check up - I hadn't been for four years - and I took it as a sign."

She went along, but even then medics didn't come across the cancer until Hahipene pointed out the strange spot.

At that point, the diagnosis was almost instant.

"He looked at it under the microscope and said, 'You need to get it cut out straight away," she said.

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Because of the type of cancer, a kind of basil cell carcinoma called a morphoeic, Hahipene had to stay awake as it was removed.

While on the surface there was only a small bump, the growth was actually the size of a $2.

She had an operation called moh surgery. It sees thin layers of cancer-containing skin progressively removed and examined until only cancer-free tissue remains.

While Hahipene couldn't feel anything, she could could smell her skin burning.

"It was pretty weird, especially the smell of your skin burning and being awake through it all," she said.

When it was finished Hahipene had a black eye and a wound that took months to heal. She now has a scar on her face and while it's fading, she said knows it's there.

But Hahipene, who has children Charlie, five, and Bede, two, was warned she could have lost an eye if the cancer had spread further, and is sharing her story to warn others of the importance of skin checks.

She has been warned she's likely to have more skin cancers, and blames them on her solarium-loving past.

The devices are now banned in Australia.

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"I was really silly. I used to run a gym shop and solarium in Crown Street in Surry Hills, and I used to use them whenever. I would lie in them for 15, 20 minutes sometimes," she said.

"We knew that the sun is bad but you think you're invincible when you're young. Educate yourself and know what to look for and go for checks."

New research from life insurer TAL revealed more than half of Australians surveyed said they would take any measures to protect themselves from skin cancer - yet less than a third had had a check in the past year.

Two out of three Australians will be diagnosed with some form of skin cancer by the age of 70, according to the Cancer Council.

TAL's Chief Medical Officer, Dr Priya Chagan, said: "Taking the time to get to know your own skin so you can notice any changes all year round is an invaluable step towards detecting and possibly preventing skin cancer or spread of skin cancer."

For more details visit tal.com.au/tal-spotchecker