Publisher Health

A 23-year-old has called for a ban on using sunbeds, after he was diagnosed with a type of skin cancer at the age of 21.

Jak Howell, from Swansea, was just 16 when he started using sunbeds four to five times a week for up to 18 minutes at a time.

A bleeding mole that appeared on his body resulted in a life-changing cancer diagnosis.

He described his sunbed usage from such an early age as his “biggest regret”.

The current law in Wales is that under-18s are not allowed to use sunbeds, with salons required to ask for identification and follow strict safety protocols, according to an industry body.

Whilst receiving treatment, Mr Howell turned to TikTok to share his experience and campaign for others to be cautious.

Despite being cancer-free since December, he described a want “to fit in” as his reason for starting sunbeds so young.

“A massive part of it was that I was hanging around with people that were a lot older than me,” he told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

“So I just followed the crowd, went with it and it was my biggest regret.

“Being so young, I thought I was invincible. I’ll be completely honest I didn’t want to listen, which completely backfired on me.”

Mr Howell said when he went into sunbed shops at 16, there was no signage or warnings to highlight the dangers of their use.

“It was just ‘go on the sunbed and leave’, that was it,” he said.

“The first sunbed I ever went in, there wasn’t even a receptionist. You just put your money in the machine, and you just went straight in.

“If I could go back now and speak to somebody about it, I’d definitely listen more.”

As “quite an active person”, he started to notice himself feeling “tired and really down all the time”.

“I just noticed something wasn’t right in my body – and that is coming up to two years ago at the end of this month, ” he said.

“There was a small mole on my back, so I had to send a picture to my GP, and the GP referred me straight to the hospital where they took a biopsy and then ten days later I had the call.

“There’s nothing like it. The only way I can describe it was just like a grenade going off in my soul. It was the most empty feeling I’ve ever had in my life.

“I want to go all the way with it, I want to get these sunbeds banned.”

Chairman of The Sunbed Association, Gary Lipman, said: “Sunbed use by under-18s has been against the law across the UK since 2010 and our members who represent professional salon operators have strict protocols in place to ensure the law is complied with.

“Sunbed Association members also have trained staff to screen customers for any contra-indications to tanning as well as record the number of sessions taken to ensure compliance with the long-standing regulation of no more than 60 sessions per year.”

A ban on underage sunbed use has been in place in Wales since 2011.

Tanning shop owners who flout this law face fines or having their licences taken away.

It was introduced after Cancer Research UK said using a sunbed before the age of 35 significantly increases your chance of getting skin cancer.

The Welsh government said: “In 2011, the Welsh government introduced legislation which introduced further, tighter controls and balanced measures to protect and inform those over 18 who choose to use sunbeds.

“Since then, the law requires premises to display information on sunbeds about the risk of skin cancer and eye damage.”