A 23-year-old has revealed how he was given just 12 months to live after he started using sunbeds to "fit in" with his friends. Jak Howell, from Swansea, had been visiting salons for six years, before he was given the tragic news last year.
The youngster developed the dangerous habit after he started using sunbeds at age 16, going on to spend as many as 100 minutes a week in sessions. Despite the legal age for sunbeds being 18, Jak wanted to "follow the crowd", as his older friends had started using them.
He said: "I was underage to begin with which was very immature and silly of me but I was using them here and there.
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“About 18, I fell into the loophole of properly going on sunbeds. And I think when you start, it’s something you find hard to stop.”
Using a sunbed before the age of 35 is said to increase risk of melanoma - the deadliest form of skin cancer and the one which Jak has - by 87 per cent.
But he says his sunbed shops didn’t care and still let him on the beds most days despite being underage.
At his worst, Jak was doing 18 or 20 minute sessions up to five times a week, despite government guidance stating users should leave 48 hours between tanning sessions.
When Jak found a spot on his back, he initially struggled to believe it could be something sinister, but when he showed an image to his GP, he was ordered to go straight to hospital - and the mole was removed and sent off to be assessed.
Just a few weeks later, in May 2021, Jak was told he had Stage 3 Melanoma, and he was given 12 months to live.
But over a year later, things are looking promising for Jak, who hopes he will be able to kiss cancer goodbye forever at the end of this year.
While two operations failed to eradicate the cancer, chemotherapy has thrown him a lifeline.
Now, Jak wants to warn other young men not to put their lives at risk
He said: "As you do when you’re younger, you follow the crowd. You do all these things to try and fit in."
But imagining he could send a message to his younger self, he added: "I’d tell little Jak to be confident in himself and that he doesn’t need to do all these silly things to make himself feel like he fits in.
“I’d tell him to know his worth. I’d tell him to be prepared for things that are coming.”
And he has bravely opened up about his experience on TikTok, where his videos have gathered millions of views.
Experts believe 20 minutes on a sunbed is the equivalent to four hours in the sun - as they pelt the sun UV rays stronger than Mediterranean UV at midday.
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