Browned off: Broke tan-lovers turn to sunbeds
A survey of 2,000 people in Britain revealed one in five would not let their fading finances stop them getting a tan as they turned to the sun machines.
Here in Ireland, one company said punters were queuing “out the door” to avail of their services.
The survey – carried out on behalf of Cancer Research UK’s SunSmart campaign – found 34% of the 2,000 people were less likely to travel somewhere sunny this year and 29% said they would be disappointed if they did not get a tan.
Almost half, 46%, said a tan made them look healthier, while 22% said they felt it made them more attractive.
Much less attractive, according to cancer groups, is the skin cancer which the use of tanning machines can cause. They say using a sunbed once a month or more can increase the risk of skin cancer by more than half and using the machines before the age of 35 increases your risk of developing melanoma skin cancer by up to 75%.
SunSmart Ireland claim 20 minutes on a sunbed or sunlamp is the same as four hours in the sun.
The Irish Cancer Society says Ireland has the third- highest rate of malignant melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, in the EU, 667 new cases in 2007.
Non-melanoma skin cancer is the most common cancer in Ireland. There were 7,076 new cases in 2007, up 32% in men and 36% in women in 10 years.
