Unlicensed tanning drugs increase risk of cancer

Unlicensed tanning jabs commonly used and sold in beauty salons or bought over the internet increase the risk of cancer, doctors have warned.

The Irish Medicines Board statement comes after a 33-year-old woman presented at St Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin with several irregular moles on her skin after receiving two injections of the so-called ‘Barbie Doll’ tanning drug, Melanotan, at a beautician’s.

Doctors said, despite widespread bans and health warnings, the jabs were openly and easily available here at tanning parlours, spas and gyms.