A man who became obsessed with sun beds to get the perfect tanned look has told of his shock at being given 12 months to live after developing skin cancer.
Jak Howell began using sun beds when he was just 16 years old, two years younger than the legal minimum age of 18.
His tanning bed habit became so prolific that he ended up spending more than 100 minutes a week using the beds after he wanted to fit in with his friends who used them.
Using tanning beds massively increases the risk of developing skin cancer, with the UV light being far more intense than sunlight.
Sadly, Jak's habit developed to the point that he found it "hard to stop", doing 18-20 minute sessions some five times a week despite guidance that you should have at least a 48 hour gap between sessions.
He told LadBible: “I was underage to begin with which was very immature and silly of me but I was using them here and there. About 18, I fell into the loophole of properly going on sunbeds."
The 23-year-old used sunbeds like this for some six years before he went to his GP with a spot on his back which had become itchy.
Despite Jak believing it to be an insect bite, his GP sent him straight to hospital where the spot was removed and examined.
Medics then gave Jak the awful news that he had stage 3 melanoma, with a prognosis that he had just 12 months to live.
Nasty ex-soldier son held ill mum's head under water as she didn't shop for him
Jak subsequently had two operations to remove the cancer, but sadly neither of them was successful.
Nonetheless, Jak has also undergone chemotherapy which has helped him to live past his initial prognosis, and even give a glimmer of hope that he can beat the cancer.
Jak now uses his social media accounts to raise awareness about the dangers of using tanning beds.
He remarked: “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.”
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here .
READ NEXT:
- Lucky National Lottery winners were convinced million-pound win 'was a con'
- Heatwave to end with bang as Met Office warns of dramatic change to UK weather
- Bible bombshell as bloody siege prophecy foretold by Jesus is 'proven true'
- Elon Musk posts 'sex tape' online and sends fans wild with hilarious, raunchy tweet
- UK's 'Ken Doll' breaks arm trying to ride cows in £1k suit after boozy races trip
Source: Read Full Article