Dr. Muneeb Shah was 31 years old when he found a small pink bump on his chest during his dermatology training. It looked innocent enough, like a pimple or ingrown hair. But when he examined it with his dermatoscope and watched it bleed after scratching, he knew something was wrong. Two months later, a biopsy confirmed what he suspected: basal cell skin cancer, the most common form of the disease.
Shah had spent his teenage years in New York chasing a cultural ideal. In the Jersey Shore era, tanning was not just common, it was cool. His Planet Fitness membership came with unlimited access to tanning beds, and after nearly every workout in high school, he would spend 10 minutes under the lights. He saw a newspaper article posted near the tanning booth claiming that tanning was actually good for skin and body. As a vain teenager, he believed it. "I genuinely didn't know that tanning was bad for you," Shah recalls. He estimates he visited that tanning booth at least a hundred times.
The diagnosis shook him. Growing up with a South Asian background, skin cancer was never discussed in his family. Sun protection was not part of his culture, and playing soccer throughout his childhood meant hours of sun exposure without sunscreen. Even as he advanced through dermatology training, surrounded by colleagues who could spot the danger, Shah found himself uncertain. A few dermatologists told him the bump looked unusual, but no one immediately declared it cancer. He lived with the lesion for two months before pushing for a biopsy.
When the results came back, Shah asked to see the microscope slides himself. He needed to see the evidence with his own eyes. Once he accepted the diagnosis, his mind raced to worst-case scenarios. Basal cell cancers can invade deeper into the skin, and biopsies only sample a small area. If not completely removed, these cancers return aggressively. Shah opted for Mohs surgery, a controlled procedure that removes skin cancer while preserving surrounding tissue. He had the surgery performed between patients during a clinic day and returned to seeing patients the same afternoon.
Recovery proved harder than expected. The incision ran down the center of his chest, where constant movement from arm motion threatened to reopen the wound. His stitches became infected, requiring antibiotics. He now carries a five-centimeter scar on his chest, a permanent reminder of the diagnosis he once thought impossible.
What struck Shah most was how unprepared he felt despite his medical training. A common misconception in dermatology is that people with darker skin tones are less likely to develop skin cancer, but Shah's diagnosis proves that wrong. Anyone can develop skin cancer regardless of skin tone, yet sun protection remains unevenly emphasized across different communities.
Since his diagnosis, Shah has become fastidious about skin care. He now gets annual mole checks and wears sunscreen every day on his face, hands, and any sun-exposed areas. He is, as he admits, paranoid. But his real concern now centers on the influence of public figures who promote tanning beds. Celebrity endorsements of indoor tanning, he argues, send the wrong message to millions of followers who assume that if it looks good on them, it must be safe.
The science is clear. Even a single tanning bed session can increase skin cancer risk. Tanning beds emit UVA light that depletes collagen, accelerating aging. For people with darker skin, UV exposure triggers melasma and hyperpigmentation. And the idea of using tanning beds to treat psoriasis, which Shah notes some celebrities have done, reflects outdated thinking. Modern dermatology treats psoriasis with narrow-band UVB light at specific wavelengths, targeted and controlled, not the indiscriminate damage of a tanning bed.
Shah's preference would be to ban tanning beds outright. At minimum, he believes age restrictions should be enforced, with access limited to those 21 and older. But he also recognizes that behavior change requires motivation and accessibility. His recommendation is straightforward: find an SPF 30 or higher broad-spectrum sunscreen that you actually enjoy wearing, and use it daily like brushing your teeth. Brands like CeraVe, Cetaphil, Neutrogena, Elta MD, and Supergoop all offer affordable options. The goal is not to stop living, Shah tells patients, but to live more cautiously. Hike, travel, enjoy the outdoors, but do so with intention and protection.
Author Jessica Williams: "Shah's story is a sobering reminder that skin cancer doesn't discriminate, and neither should our approach to sun safety."
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