As the weather turns warmer, and we start to shed the hefty winter layers, some of us might be looking forward to perhaps catching some rays and a tan… if it ever stops raining. Giving things a boost with the use of a sunbed is tempting but consideration of the implications is vital.
There is no such thing as safe UV tanning. This unequivocal statement from Cancer Research UK underlines what dermatologists have been telling us for years: sunbeds are carcinogenic and were classified as such by the World Health Organisation in 2009. It is, therefore, surprising that despite the known dangers, sunbeds are still only lightly regulated, something that Skin Cancer UK wants to change. Their current, hard-hitting campaign to update the 14-year-old regulations governing sunbeds is designed to show that ‘the law regulating sunbeds isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.’ In the ad, a copy of the regulations is placed on a sunbed and then exposed to the legally allowed amount of UV radiation. The result is shocking: the copy of the Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010 looks as if it has been rescued from a fire; singed brown mottled patches cover the paper.
Sunbed use increases cancer risk by 60%
There is no divergence of opinion between cancer charities and dermatologists - the use of sunbeds increases the risk of skin cancer by 60%. In the last 10 years there has been a 32% rise in the incidence of melanoma skin cancer with around 46 melanoma cases diagnosed every day in the UK [source: Skin Cancer UK] with young women particularly affected. Under current regulations, sunbed use by under 18s is banned but they contain no further restrictions governing usage. Worryingly, the flurry of concern over sunbed usage that prompted the 2010 regulations appears to have subsided. There is strong evidence that the tanning salon is having a ‘moment’ fuelled by celebrity and influencer endorsement on Instagram, TikTok and other social media.
Sunbeds emit high levels of UV radiation
Research reported by the British Journal of Dermatologists has uncovered the unwelcome fact that around nine out of ten sunbeds do not conform to UK or European safety standards and, on average, emit more than twice the recommended level of UV radiation. There is also strong evidence that sunbed users under the age of 34 are more prone to skin damage and have a much higher risk of developing skin cancer. The combination of faulty sunbeds and the increased use of high-powered sunlamps is making the risk of sunbed use even greater than previously thought.
Beauty regimes trump cancer concern
In the UK, a tan is an important part of many people’s beauty regime and suggesting swapping the sunbed for a bottle of fake tan for the sake of one’s health is often not welcomed. Even those in the beauty industry, who are fully aware of the skin cancer risk posed by sunbeds, appear to be indulging in a conspiracy of silence, with the pull of a tan proving stronger than the chance of developing melanoma. According to an article in Marie Claire published last year, most beauty insiders justified their sunbed use to help avoid getting burnt on holiday – a common myth that dermatologists are quick to counter as any tan is a sign of skin damage. It is worth noting that the legal limit of the radiation received under a sunbed is the equivalent to the sun’s strength at the equator at the hottest time of the day. Most people on holiday in the tropics are very unlikely to be anywhere other than in the shade when the sun is at its highest.
The case for a ban
Given the rapidly rising rate of skin cancer diagnosis, perhaps the answer is not regulation but a complete ban, as is already the case in Iran, Brazil, and Australia. The Manchester Cancer Research Centre has shown “conclusively for the first time that banning indoor tanning supported by a public health campaign would be an efficient use of healthcare resources to reduce melanoma and other skin cancers in England.” The research team identified that melanoma is the second most common cause of cancer death in young adults – and the most preventable.
From a medical negligence standpoint, given the relatively unregulated regime within which tanning salons operate, there is limited room for manoeuvre unless it can be proved that the equipment used was faulty or that the operator allowed someone underage to use a sunbed. With skin cancer, the main message must be one of prevention – avoid UV radiation and sunbeds in particular.
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