SUNBEDS-ARE WE TANNING OURSELVES TO DEATH?

We all love being tanned. It's a great feeling being tanned and getting a hit of Vitamin D. You look better, feel better and those abs of yours that were hiding seem to sneak out with a tan. Sadly our Irish weather means having a tan is limited to the summer months, if we are lucky. However this hasn't stopped people getting a tan artificially and the rise of the use of sunbeds has some serious health consequences.

OUR SKINTYPE

Our Celtic complexion is classed in Dermatology terms as Fitzpatrick Skin Type 1-2. This means the skin is light in colour, burns easily in the sun and freckles. As a result we are highly susceptible to skin damage and cancers. Especially melanoma, the deadliest type of skin cancer.

THE FACTS

-Ultraviolet Light(Sun and Sunbeds) is the main cause of skin cancer.

-Using sunbeds is not a safe way to get a tan. It exposes your skin to large amounts of UV rays that age your skin and increase the risk of skin cancer

-Skin cancer is the fastest growing cancer in Ireland. There are over 11,000 new cases of skin cancer diagnosed every year.

-The World Health Organisation tells us that using a sunbed causes skin cancer. One sunbed session can increase your risk of developing squamous cell skin cancer by 67% and basal skin cancer by 29%.

-If you have used a sunbed your risk of melanoma, the most serious form of cancer,  increases by 20%. Using it before the age of 35 increases your risk by almost 60%.

-Skin can be classed as immature until the age of 18. This is why sunbeds have been banned for anyone under the age of 18. It is estimated that we accumulate between 60 and 80% of our entire lifetime UV exposure before we are 18. It is also thought that 5-6 bad sunburnings in childhood give an 80% chance of developing skin cancer later on in life. If you add sunbed use on top of this then the risks are even higher.

-An American study recently conducted worldwide found that, there are more cases of skin cancer due to indoor tanning than there are lung cancer cases due to smoking.

MYTHS ABOUT SUNBEDS

Sunbeds are great to clear acne: Never use a sunbed to clear acne. A better way to deal with acne is to talk to your doctor. Sunbed use is strongly linked to melanoma skin cancer so you could get more than you bargained for.

If I don’t burn then it’s a safe way of tanning: False. Even if you don’t burn after using a sunbed your risk of melanoma is greater. Don’t risk it.

Sunbeds keep me looking young and healthy: Sunbeds cause skin to wrinkle and sag. These skin changes are mostly not reversible except by surgery.

Sunbed tanning is safer than sun tanning: False. The level of UV exposure from sunbeds can be up to 15 times higher than the midday Mediterranean sun. Because of this your risk of skin cancer is greater.

Sunbeds are a healthy way to top-up my Vitamin D: False. A safer way of topping up your Vitamin D is thought Vitamin D tablets which are available in most health food shops.

SKIN CANCER

Tawny Willoughby(27) was diagnosed with skin cancer when she was 21. She used sunbeds frequently and she now has basal cell carcinoma five times and squamous cell carcinoma once. She now has to see a dermatologist every 6-12 months to have a cancerous piece of skin removed. You can read more about her story here.

The bottom line about sunbeds is that they are very dangerous. Regardless of your age, sunbed use increases your risk of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. It’s a high price to pay if being tanned makes you feel more confident and attractive. There are safer ways of getting a tan such as out of a bottle or by getting a spray tan. You only have one skin so look after it in the same way you look after your body. There is no point being the most tanned person in the graveyard.

For more information about skin cancer, diagnosis and treatment please visit https://www.cancer.ie.