Former “Dancing With The Stars” contestant Harry Jowsey revealed to his followers in a video posted on TikTok, a serious health problem he is dealing with. The youngster was diagnosed with skin cancer at the age of 26, urging his followers not to skimp on the sunscreen as summer approaches.
“I’m going to be fine, everything is going to be fine,” assured the Aussie “Too Hot To Handle” star.
“If you’re a freckled person like me, go get a mole map and check your body, because you never know,” he said, adding that he had cancerous spots on his shoulder for “a year or two” and had no idea of their existence.
“Go get your skin checked, use your sunscreen and be a little more responsible, because that’s what I have to do now, and it’s very scary.”
His stark warning comes after Kim Kardashian showed fans her new tanning booth. This sparked a lot of backlash from his followers, who expressed their interest in tanning salons, saying they would rather “die beautiful than live ugly.”
While Jowsey did not reveal what type of skin cancer he was diagnosed with — or what it might have come from — most skin cancers are caused by overexposure to ultraviolet rays, emitted from the sun or in high concentrations inside salons to tan.
According to the American Cancer Society, more than 100,600 people are expected to be diagnosed with melanoma, a type of skin cancer, in 2024, and 8,290 are estimated to be victims of the disease.
Risk factors for skin cancer
One thing is for sure – all people can develop skin cancer. However, there are certain categories of the population that tend to be more prone to developing a form of skin cancer. People with lighter skin, who burn more easily after exposure to the sun, people who have freckles or a large number of moles, those with a family history of cancer, but also advanced age can play a decisive role in the diagnosis of skin cancer .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends avoiding prolonged exposure to the sun and taking steps to protect against UV rays, such as using sunscreen, wearing loose, long clothing that covers the skin, wearing a hat and sunglasses, and sheltering in shade when possible.
Melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma, or basal cell carcinoma, all of these types of skin cancer can be prevented if the measures listed above are followed. In addition, doctors recommend dermoscopy once every three years to check for moles.
Recently, a growing number of celebrities have revealed that they have battled or are battling skin cancer, such as Teddi Mellencamp, Christie Brinkley and Sarah Ferguson.
Sources:
https://nypost.com/2024/04/27/lifestyle/harry-jowsey-reveals-skin-cancer-diagnosis-at-age-26-heres-what-to-know-about-the-scary-disease/
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/melanoma-skin-cancer/about/key-statistics.html
Photo source: verona studio / Shutterstock
