Tanning salons ought to display graphic warning signs akin to the alarming images found on cigarette packets. This measure is essential to alert customers to the perils associated with sunbed usage.
The decision has the potential to preserve lives, leading to an appeal to the Government to revise existing laws and enforce the compulsory display of warning signs.
In countries like Australia and Brazil, they have banned sunbeds to protect their citizens. However, here in the UK, we turn a blind eye to the potential dangers, failing to adequately warn individuals about the risks they face.
“Sunbed use is costing lives unnecessarily, and the compulsory placement of warning signs seems like a small yet crucial step. It will unquestionably save lives, without a doubt.”
The call comes 13 years after the introduction of the Sunbed Regulation Act, which prohibited individuals under the age of 18 from using them.
Social media is fuelling a rise in tanning bed usage among younger people. There is a claim there has been more than 200 million searches for the term #sunbed on the video platform TikTok in the last 12 months.
In January 2024, Kim Kardashian, a reality star, shared a tour of her Skin by Kim offices, showcasing a sunbed. She explained that she uses tanning beds to alleviate her psoriasis.
According to Cancer Research UK, around 16,700 cases of melanoma, a potentially metastatic form of skin cancer, are diagnosed in the UK every year. However, projections suggest that this number could rise to 26,500 by 2038-2040. An estimated 85% of these cases are attributed to excessive exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
According to the NHS, sunbeds can emit larger doses of UV rays than the midday tropical sun. The health service also warned that frequent exposure to UV rays under the age of 25 leads to a greater risk of developing skin cancer in later life, along with sunburn in childhood.
A former sunbed user that I know aged 44, from Liverpool, was diagnosed with the disease in 2019, at the age of 39. She had started using sunbeds in 1996 when she was 16 – but not “all the time”.
She moved away to university, in about 1998. and would occasionally use them at university too – they tanning salons were all over the place and very accessible. There were no warning signs as to the dangers of overuse.
My friend stopped using sunbeds altogether when she moved to Asia in 2008, although she had regular skin checks due to having a lot of moles. She had two removed in 2019 – the results came back as Melanoma
These are some of the typical scars that result from removal of suspect moles.
The cancer had spread to her lymph nodes. After having them removed, she underwent immunotherapy, which helps the immune system recognise and fight cancer cells.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said:
“That’s why the Sunbeds Act prohibits people under 18 from using them, and we keep the Act under constant review to ensure it remains fit for purpose.
“We encourage anyone thinking of using a sunbed to consider the risks first.”
Another of the leading skin cancer charities in the UK, Skcin, continually advocate against the use of sunbeds. They attempt to dispel the common myths that are so frequently associated with sunbeds.
These are some of the myths debunked:-
‼ #1 SUNBEDS ARE SAFE:
Sunbed use is bad news at any age and dramatically increases the risk of both melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer. They are classified as a group 1 carcinogen – the highest cancer risk category. AND the younger you are and more often you use them – the risk MASSIVELY INCREASES.
‼ #2 SUNBEDS ARE SAFER THAN THE SUN:
Sunbeds emit UVA at much higher intensities than the sun to make you tan quickly. UVA penetrates the skin at much deeper levels than UVB. Damage from UVA is cumulative, irreparable, causes cell damage and skin cancer – including melanoma which is one of the biggest killing cancers in the 15-34 age group.
‼ #3 SUNBEDS HELP PREPARE MY SKIN FOR THE SUN SO I DON’T BURN:
This is a common misconception, but put simply, all it does is add to the damage already done and if you intend to sunbathe, further damage you will do.
‼ #4 SUNBEDS BOOST MY VITAMIN D SUPPLY
UVB boosts vitamin D, NOT UVA. Any deficiencies, particularly in winter should be boosted with supplements and a healthy balanced diet.
‼ #5 A SUNBED TAN MAKES ME LOOK BETTER!
UVA is responsible for 80% of the visible signs of ageing – and as mentioned sunbeds emit much higher intensities of UVA than natural sunlight. The fact is, sunbed use will make you look MUCH older at a MUCH younger age.
‼ DON’T FORGET! Sunbeds are BANNED in some countries – they are illegal for use in the UK if you are under the age of 18 and MUCH MORE needs to be done to regulate this industry.
‼ DON’T BECOME A STATISTIC.
Many sunbed users have died from melanoma – this is not a coincidence.
MelanomaFocus, another great Skin Cancer charity in the UK, have a brilliant page on their website and they have published some alarming statistics from a 2024 study that they carried out. Click here to read the page and see the results for yourselves.
The main headlines are:-
- 28% of people are using sunbeds in the UK
- 43% of 18-25 year olds are using sunbeds in the UK
- Only 62% of people knowing that sunbed use increases the risk of skin cancer
- 52% of 18-25 year olds know that sunbed use increases the risk of skin cancer
- 23% of 18-25 year oldsbelieve that sunbed use actually decreases the risk of skin cancer.
- 53%of sunbed users use them at least once per week.
‼ Please, if you use sunbeds STOP ‼
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