Model’s horror as ‘harmless’ freckle turns out to be melanoma

Wollongong woman Oceana Strachan has issued a warning to others after a tiny freckle on her ankle turned out to be a deadly cancer.

A model has opened up about her “guilt” after being diagnosed with skin cancer following years of sunbaking.

Oceana Strachan, 25, recently discovered a freckle on her ankle was actually melanoma and has undergone a procedure to remove the cancer.

But in the wake of her heath scare, the former tan-lover revealed she now “cringes” when she thinks of what she used to say when she was warned about skin cancer.

Her ordeal began on March 22 when Oceana went for a routine skin check and flagged her concerns over the mole on her ankle.

Despite the Wollongong woman being told the freckle looked “harmless”, she’d noticed it changing in size and shape since 2019 and insisted on having a biopsy.

The result showed the freckle was in fact melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer.

Oceana has since had the cancerous tissue removed and will need check-ups every few months to monitor the situation – but she’s speaking out after years of sunbaking at the beach.

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Wollongong model Oceana Strachan has opened up about being diagnosed with stage two melanoma after spending years sunbaking at the beach. Picture: Instagram/OceanaStrachan

“I never want to scare anyone from being in the sun or doing outdoor activities I purely just want you guys to be more aware,” Oceana said in a recent video post.

“I’ve never been the perfect example myself, I’ve had so many people countlessly tell me ‘there’s nothing healthy about a tan’.

“And I cringe when I think back to my responses.”

She went on to explain she’d often brushed off warnings saying things like, “you don’t look healthy without a tan” and “you have to die of something”.

“I can’t believe those words came out of my mouth,” she continued in her lengthy Instagram video.

“I’m 25 and I don’t want to die this young.”

She broke down in a video explaining how she now ‘cringes’ when she thinks about how she disregarded sun safety. Picture: Instagram/OceanaStrachan

The 25-year-old said she had been ‘swimming in feelings of guilt’ since her diagnosis. Picture: Instagram/OceanaStrachan

Oceana, who is a full-time influencer, described the situation as overwhelming, breaking down in tears at one point as she described “swimming in feelings of guilt”.

“Being aware and having self initiative is what saved me and thankfully I was able to be one of the lucky ones to catch it early enough,” she wrote in the caption alongside her video warning.

“Like I state in the video, I was swimming in feelings of guilt and constantly blaming myself for being in this situation.”

Her video has been well received by her 180,000 followers, with many praising Oceana for being “brave” and speaking out so honestly.

“You’re so incredibly brave. Thank you for sharing,” one said.

“This was incredibly eye opening and has prompted me to book in for a skin check,” another wrote.

“This is such a powerful testimony from a brave young woman. Thank you for raising awareness,” someone else agreed.

She shared photos of her freckle during the process of having it removed. Picture: Instagram/OceanaStrachan

Melanoma is a less common type of skin cancer and is considered the most serious because it grows quickly and is more likely to spread to other parts of the body, such as the lymph nodes, lungs, liver, brain and bones, especially if not found early, Cancer Council reports.

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