Sunbeds kill 48 Aussies every year by causing skin cancer. Now Lee Rhiannon, a NSW MP, is campaigning to have them banned. She believes hundreds of salons flout the few guidelines in place. Regulations include prohibiting people under 18 and those with very fair skin from using sunbeds. They also require operators to display warning signs about the risks.
But Rhiannon says the only way to eliminate the risk of sunbeds is to ban them outright. She is now taking the debate to parliament and supporting a petition against the use of sunbeds. While many survive sunbed-related skin cancer, one mum has a warning to others on the dangers. 
My promise to Amanda
Tracy Eather, 47, Brisbane, Qld
When my daughter Amanda (pictured right) had a red, itchy mole removed in 2005, we were glad her doctor had acted fast. It was melanoma, but because she was given the all clear we thought nothing more of it.
After that Amanda was always careful in the sun. But because she had used sunbeds in the past, the damage had already been done.
In June 2006, when she was 24, she found lumps on her back. An examination revealed more under her armpits. 'The melanoma has spread to your lymph nodes,' her doctor said.
At the time, she lived an hour away from me with her husband Jay, now 38, and little boy, James, now five. 'Don't worry, Mum,' she said. 'They'll cut them out and I'll be fine.'
Sadly that wasn't the case. Within months a 9cm tumour found on her hip led to a hip replacement. Then another tumour was found on her back and spots on her spleen.
I refused to give up hope but gradually the doctors convinced me there was nothing we could do. 'She doesn't have much time left,' they said.
I felt so angry my 25-year-old daughter was being taken from me, especially when I learnt her disease was preventable. We learnt sunbeds may have caused Amanda's cancer.
Amanda was horrified when she thought of all the girls still using solariums despite the risks.
'Don't worry,' I promised her before she died. 'You won't have suffered in vain. I'll campaign to educate others.'
Even now, three years on, I find it hard to accept Amanda is gone. She was just a young mum wanting to bring up her little boy. I've since started the Melanoma Awareness Foundation to educate people about the dangers of sunbeds.
I tell Amanda's story in the hope it will change people's attitudes. Of course I get frustrated when girls tell me they know the risks but don't care. I understand they have their own decisions to make but I made a promise to Amanda to try to change their minds and it's a promise I'm going to keep.
Sunbeds the facts - Using a sunbed just once will increase your chances of melanoma by 75 per cent.
- The incidence of melanoma among women increased by 6.8 per cent between 1993 and 2003, when sunbeds became readily accessible.
- Sunbed UV rays can be 10 times stronger than the sun.
- A 20-minute visit to some booths is equivalent to a day at the beach without sun lotion.
ABCDE What to look for
If you find a mole with any of the following, please see your doctor.
A Asymmetry
Half of the mole doesn't match the other half.
B Border
The edges of the mole are irregular, ragged, notched or blurred.
C Colour
The colour of the mole is uneven and may include shades of brown or black, red, white or blue.
D Diameter
The mole is larger than 6mm across or is growing larger.
E Evolution and/or elevation
The mole may change in shape or size and a flat spot may become raised in a matter of a few weeks.
For more information, see www.cancer.org.au.
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