Jade Offord, a young woman living by the coast in South Sydney, had a pretty typical Aussie childhood.

Long holidays in the sun. Years of training at nippers. Weekends at the beach.

Jade tanned easily, but she says she basically did what the iconic Slip, Slop, Slap campaign urged us all to do in the 90s. Sometimes imperfectly, sure, but isn't everyone guilty of forgetting to reapply now and then?

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Whatsapp Jade previously hadn't thought much about the "tiniest freckle" on her arm, seen here

By late 2018, Jade had made 27 laps around the sun - and spent 27 summers basking underneath it - when she found herself getting her skin checked for the very first time.

"That was the first time I ever even considered it. I'm amazed that never crossed my mind growing up on the coast," Jade told Hack.

The following few months left Jade in a state of "unbelievable" stress and anguish - in a journey that eventually ended as she left the Melanoma Institute in Sydney with a fistful of flesh carved like a crescent moon from her upper arm.

'Call Time on Melanoma'

Getting Jade into her GP to have a skin check was largely inspired by Call Time on Melanoma, a grassroots skin cancer awareness campaign on Instagram. The account's page, started by Sydney woman Lisa Patulny, has been a quiet force of good for its thousands of followers seeking out advice about melanomas and how best to protect skin from UV rays.

Lisa started the campaign after her friend and former colleague Natalie was diagnosed with stage four melanoma of the skin.

I just felt like I needed to do something about it. No one was really talking to young women specifically. And I think so many young women in this country don't actually have the facts about sun tanning.

It's a page that draws on Lisa's expertise in women's publishing, as it lays out a perfectly curated feed of photos - in tasteful shades of tan, pink and peach - much like any other influencer on the platform.

That approach was a conscious one, Lisa explains. Think about it - marketers successfully spruik fashion and food on Instagram with well-lit photos and striking graphic design - so why can't skin cancer awareness be sold in the same way?

"The response has been amazing and beyond what I ever thought," Lisa says, "We hit 5000 Instagram followers in six months, which I think is pretty impressive these days."

5000 followers might not sound like much, but Call Time on Melanoma has dramatically changed the lives of a handful of women, Lisa says.

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"There's been four women now who have had skin checks after learning about Natalie's story and finding us on Instagram who have found a melanoma in situ and had it removed.

They all say if it wasn't for this account encouraging them to get a skin check they never would have got [their skin checked] and that melanoma could have just sat there for five, ten years.

Jade's melanoma story

Jade did exactly what the experts recommend - she headed to her GP for a skin check. Her GP checked Jade's skin but told her not to worry - nothing was unusual.

"But it just played on my mind. And about a week or two after that I booked into a specialist skin cancer clinic," Jade says.

Playing on Jade's mind in particular was "the tiniest freckle" on her upper arm which Jade had noticed was dark - and getting darker.

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Whatsapp This freckle on Jade Offord's arm turned out to be a melanoma of the skin

The doctor at the skin cancer clinic told Jade he didn't "like the look" of the freckle, but wasn't too worried. As a precaution, he took it out on the spot so it could be tested.

"He said to me, 'Do not stress about this at all. I take out about eight of these a day. And probably one comes back that's really bad per month. There's no stress. I just would prefer to take that one out'."

When the results came back a few weeks later, Jade was as surprised as her doctor.

"It came back as an atypical spitzoid, which is a really rare form of skin cancer."

After having more of the area removed, Jade and her doctor got more pathology results, confirming the spot was, in fact, a melanoma. Jade would need surgery at the Melanoma Institute.

"I think I said to the doctor, 'Oh, thank God I didn't leave that for a few more years.' And he said, 'Oh, thank God, you didn't leave it for another two years. In another two years you would have been in a lot of trouble'."

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Whatsapp Jade's arm following a second round of removing her melanoma

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Whatsapp Jade's arm following the removal of her melanoma

Without early intervention, a melanoma can spread to other parts of the body and lead to death - it's estimated that around 1700 Australians will die from melanoma of the skin this year.

Jade's surgery has left a permanent reminder of her melanoma diagnosis and the relief that came with its removal.

"I look like a baby reef shark has taken a bite out of my arm, it's unbelievable. I've got a proper bite.

If it had spread that extra bit more then that's my lymph nodes. And then that's essentially the road to your whole body.

Jade's grateful for the push that Call Time on Melanoma gave her to get her skin checked and to be more vigilant in wearing SPF daily.

"If I hadn't been around [Call Time on Melanoma] there's no way I would have gone and got checked. I didn't know. And there's no way any of my girlfriends in my large social group would have gone and had a skin check yet either. Whereas now every single one has been checked."

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Whatsapp A graphic from Call Time on Melanoma

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Whatsapp A graphic from Call Time on Melanoma

What the experts say

Jade's story is a chilling one, but it's thankfully rare, according to Associate Professor Stephen Shumack, a dermatologist in Sydney.

But the rarity of melanoma is a double-edged sword - it means that many young people aren't getting checked, Associate Professor Shumack says.

A lot of people, particularly in their early adult life, feel that they're indestructible... they think, 'It can't happen to me'.

However, if more young people are inspired to head to a specialist and get checked, they could soon face even longer waiting lists: the Australasian College of Dermatologists last month warned of an impending shortage of dermatologists.

Associate Professor Shumack says there's only about 600 dermatologists in Australia.

Melanoma facts One person every five hours will die from melanoma in Australia

Melanoma represents 2 per cent of all skin cancers, but causes 75per cent of skin cancer deaths

Australia and New Zealand have the highest melanoma rates in the world

Melanoma is the most common cancer in young Australians (15–39-year-olds) making up 20 per cent of all their cancer cases

Melanoma kills more young Australians than any other single cancer Source: Melanoma Institute of Australia

"One of the issues with that small number is that there's probably not enough to service the entire population. And there's certainly areas of Australia where it's actually very hard to get in to see a dermatologist."

However, general skin checks can be done by any GP, Professor Shumack says. While anyone can be diagnosed with melanoma of the skin, certain young people are more at risk than others.

"If you've got very pale skin, you've had a number of sunburns as a kid, you're from a family with at least a few melanomas in the past, it's quite reasonable to recommend to those particular individuals to have your skin looked at in your late teenage years to at least provide some degree of baseline about what your risk level is."

Professor Shumack says the message for young people is to keep an eye on your skin - especially dark, flat spots with irregular edges that change or get darker over time.

"Cancer among young people does occur, it's relatively rare, but it does occur. So look at your skin, get your family members to look at your skin, and if you're in a high risk group, have a chat with the GP."

For Call Time on Melanoma founder Lisa Patulny, seeing young women like Jade discover a melanoma that could have turned deadly reaffirms the passion she has for her campaign.

"It's those moments that really knock me for six a little bit. The first time that happened I think Natalie and I were both in tears, because it's amazing to think that we had anything to do with that."