Under 35s who use sunbeds face biggest risk of developing deadly cancer
Using sunbeds before the age of 35 significantly raises the risk of the most deadly form of skin cancer.
A World Health Organisation review of global cancer studies found that those who use sunbeds during their teens, 20s and early 30s are 75 per cent more likely to develop malignant melanoma.
Although artificial tanning later in life also carries health risks, it is thought young skin is more vulnerable to damage from ultraviolet rays, which can also cause eye cancer and premature ageing
The analysis, published in the International Journal of Cancer, found no evidence to support the idea that sunbed tanning protects the skin from burning in the sun. Up to one in three women use sunbeds, most starting before the age of 35.
One in four Britons has also used a sunbed, a survey for Cancer Research UK found.
Malignant melanoma is the deadliest of skin cancers and is thought to be caused by short periods of intensive sun exposure. The most common cancer in 15 to 34-year-olds, it affects 9,000 Britons a year and claims more than 1,800 lives.
Cancer Research UK surveyed 4,000 Britons about sunbed use and warned that four minutes of artificial tanning can cause as much damage as an hour in the midday Mediterranean sun.
Rebecca Russell - a spokesman for the cancer charity, said: \"Every time you use a sunbed, you are harming your skin and increasing your risk of skin cancer.\"
She said the charity wanted legislation to prevent under-18s using sunbeds.
Government guidelines advise against allowing youngsters to use sunbeds, some of which are coin-operated and up to three times more powerful than a decade ago.
There is also concern that children as young as 11 are using sunbeds to achieve tans like those of their celebrity idols. This can develop into an obsession known as tanorexia.
Justine Sheils, a 36-year-old NHS administrator from Liverpool, was given a diagnosis of malignant melanoma four years ago.
She started using sunbeds at 15, visiting them daily for seven years when her obsession was at its peak.
She has since had two operations to remove tumours from her chest and the top of her head.
\"If my story can stop one girl risking melanoma then something good will have come out of my cancer diagnosis,\" she said.
The trade association for sunbed manufacturers and salons accused Cancer Research UK of perpetuating myths to \"scare people away from sunbed use\".
The association said none of its members allowed under-16s to use sunbeds and staff were trained to ensure customers did not burn.
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发表于 2008-4-9 20:16:24