Jane Hall has always liked to have a tan and was once a regular user of sunbeds.

But when she was diagnosed with skin cancer and had to have surgery to remove a potentially-fatal tumour, she realised she could never use one again.

But it didn't stop her wanting to have a healthy glow and she began to investigate the various fake tans on the market.

Now the beauty therapist makes a living from helping people to tan without the risk.

Jane, 41, said: "I had always enjoyed holidays and the sunshine. I used to use suncream but not all the time. I never allowed myself to burn.

"But I did use the sunbeds once a week for half an hour."

The alarm was raised when she went to her GP about something else and as she was leaving asked him to look at a small mark by her knee.

Jane said: "I thought it was a crumb on my knee and went to brush it off. It was very small."

Her doctor took it seriously and referred her to a consultant.

She had a biopsy and four days later she got a call from the consultant telling her she had the potentially-fatal type of cancer called malignant melanoma, which is caused by ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun or sunbeds.

Jane, who is married to Tony and lives in Lancing, went into hospital two weeks later to have the cancer removed.

Doctors removed the whole lump and also took three non-cancerous moles from her breast, stomach and thigh.

Now Jane is free of cancer but tanning the natural way was no longer an option. Even now she has to wear sunblock whenever she goes outside.

So as summer approached last year, she decided to try fake tanning.

Some brands and methods made her skin look orange, some went streaky and some were messy to apply.

Eventually she tried an air-brush system, which produced the look she wanted.

The lotion Amber Mist is applied with a spray gun and lasts up to six days.

Jane began her fake tanning business in April and now has a permanent base above You Hair in Worthing High Street.

Jane believes the message - the only safe tan is a fake tan - is getting through.

She said: "I did a tan on one lady who said she had had a course of six sunbed sessions booked. She had the third one and said, 'I wonder whether this will be the one that gives me skin cancer?'."

Jane advised people to go to the doctor if they were worried.

She said: "Any mark that appears on your body that you did not notice before, or any mole or freckle which has changed, do not hesitate to get it checked.

"My consultant and doctor said they would rather check 100 people then have one person develop malignant melanoma."

For more details about fake tanning, call Jane on 01903 233860 or 01903 234952.