MANY see sunbeds as a quick fix in their pursuit of the body beautiful. However, by desperately trying to get an all-year tan, people are putting themselves at risk of developing the most deadly form of skin cancer.
The World Health Organisationfs review of global studies show that the younger you are when you start using sunbeds the more likely you are to get skin cancer.
It states that those who use sunbeds between their teenage years and early 30s are 75 per cent more likely to get a malignant melanoma.
The publication of this review coincides with the launch of the SunSmart campaign by Cancer Research UK.
Cancer Research UKfs lead nurse Anne Croudass, based in Southampton, said the charity is calling for the Government to introduce tough legislation to protect the young.
She said: "We are particularly concerned about young teenagers using sunbeds and are working with the Government to review options for possible regulation of the industry.
"We would like legislation to prevent under-18s using sunbeds and to ban unmanned coin-operated machines which can attract underage and vulnerable users.
"The results of the study are a stark warning to young people about the dangers of indoor tanning.
"Every time you use them you are harming your skin and increasing your risk of skin cancer." Southampton City Council, Winchester City Council and Fareham Borough Council have already removed sunbeds in council run premises while New Forest District Council and Test Valley Borough Council continue to use the machines.
Eastleigh Borough Council said none of the places it manages have sunbeds.
The charity supports the phasing out of all tanning salons and Fareham did this more than ten years ago due to fears over health risks, while Southampton followed suit in 2000 after advice from the British Medical Institute of Sport and Recreation Management.
Winchester City Council had sunbeds removed from all its facilities in January this year because they gdidnft fit inh with its healthy living work.
But New Forest District Council, head of leisure Bob Millard, said the authority has them in all five of its leisure centres.
He said: "We know there is a demand for tanning salons. People are going to use them anyway and we would rather they use them with us. When a person uses council facilities the dangers are explained to them and they are given written information. We then assess their skin type and see what treatment, if any, they can have. We have no unmanned machines." He went on to say the council limits customers to 20 sessions a year and doesnft allow under 18-year-olds to use the tanning salons.
A Test Valley Borough Council spokesman said a private company runs a number of premises on its behalf, two of which have sunbeds and it allows people as young as 16 to use them.
She said: "There are no coin-operated or unmanned tanning machines so a person cannot just walk in and use them.
Anyone who uses a sunbed has a skin type assessment and medical evaluation and an induction on the machine.
"Warnings about possible dangers are displayed by the machine and we limit the number of times a person can use the machines to 20 a year." She added that the company's policies relating to the use of these exceed national and European standards.
Cancer Research UK SunSmart campaign manager Rebecca Russell said: "It sounds like the local authorities in Hampshire who still allow sunbeds in their leisure centres are mimicking the more responsible end of the market.
"However, we think they should all be removed from all council-run premises as it sends a mixed message.
"On one hand they are promoting health and on the other they are operating out of profit." In Scotland there are proposals for a new Public Health Bill to ban under 18s from using sunbeds and legislate for all sunbed salons to be supervised and proper information provided to customers.
With evidence stacking up and mounting public concern it would seem that it will only be a matter of time before similar laws are introduced in England and the days of the coin-operated sunbeds may soon be numbered.
Skin cancer factfile
- More than 75,000 people a year are diagnosed with skin cancer.
- Around 1,800 a year die of malignant melanoma.
- Southampton had a higher mortality rate for cancers generally in people under 65 than similar local authorities when it was measured in 2000.
- More women die of skin cancer than men in Southampton.
- From 1995 to 2000 an average of seven people a year died of malignant melanoma in Southampton.
- Mortality due to malignant melanoma was higher in Southampton than the national average in 2000.
- Skin cancer is more common in sunny and affluent areas including the south.
- Past incidents of melanoma in Southampton and south west Hampshire have been up to 50 per cent higher than the UK average.
- Melonoma affects more young people than other cancers.
