Sunbed Ban For Under 18s
A new law has been introduced today in Wales that bans under 18s from using sunbeds.
The law, passed by the Welsh Assembly Government, is meant to help protect young people from putting themselves at risk of skin cancer.
Sunbed shop owners will now face a fine or lose their licence if they are caught letting young people use their sunbeds.
England is also hoping to follow Wales in banning unsupervised tanning machines and restricting their sale and hire.
The ban comes after a report found that two 15 to 35-year-olds in Britain are diagnosed with the deadliest form of skin cancer, malignant melanoma, every day. According to NHS Direct, malignant melanoma is a rare type of skin cancer and is serious in that it can spread to other organs in the body.
Melanoma is relatively rare and makes up 10% of all skin cancer cases. However, it is also responsible for most deaths due to skin cancer. Approximately 2,000 people die every year in England and Wales due to melanoma.
The main cause is believed to be over-exposure to the sun. Overusing sunbeds and sunlamps may also increase your risk of developing melanoma.
Nicola Roberts (pictured) from pop band Girls Aloud has been a vocal supporter of banning sunbed use for under 18s. The singer, who now proudly shows off her pale, natural skin after admitting to becoming a 'tanorexic', has voiced concerns over the lengths some young people are going to to get a ‘perfect’ tan.
In a documentary she made in 2010 called The Truth About Tanning. She was shocked to discover young people were resorting to taking untested tablets and having tanning injections as well as spending too long on sunbeds.
Cancer Research UK, the leading cancer charity in Britain, has warned that using a sunbed before you’re 35 significantly increases your chance of getting skin cancer.
The UK government's Health Minister Anne Milton MP has given a stark warning to young people saying; “My message to young sunbed users is clear: you are putting your health at risk. Intense bursts of UV radiation can cause damage to your skin, even after just one use”.
With summer just around the corner and with it the chance to catch a few rays, the health advice is simple. Slap on the sunscreen, avoid spending long periods of time in the sun, especially during the hottest part of the day which is between 12pm and 3pm, and if you must fake your tan, use a bottle not a sunbed.
If you want more info on staying safe in the sun or advice on using sunbeds check out www.sunsmart.org.uk or the ‘Are Sunbeds Safe?’ section of the NHS website.
3 Comments – Post a comment
Ihavethecyrusvirusx
Commented 13 months ago - 8th April 2011 - 15:58pm
I think it's a silly idea anyways. I have never liked the idea of a sundbed. My friends mother used to hire one every month. I took a look at it and thought "Meh... no thanks" I don't care about looking tanned or not. But I'd rather be really pale than orange, red or brown and putting myself in danger. No thanks!
Some of the girls use them in my school and they look awful most of the time after they use it so there isn't any point in my opinion.
Beckie Sub Editor
Commented 13 months ago - 11th April 2011 - 12:52pm
I think you're right about not wanting to burn and put yourself in danger. Just because sunbeds seem to be a controlled environment as opposed to sitting out in the sun, their intensity with heat and potential skin damage makes them almost one and the same.
My sis uses loads of fake tan and can look a bit like she's been Tango'd at times, but I'd rather she was orange from a bottle than suffering skin damage and pain from a sunbed or being out in the sun for too long.
CLIC Kathryn
Commented 13 months ago - 20th April 2011 - 02:46am
This is good news. Melanoma's are hard to detect, it just looks like an innocent new mole that develops, but continued sun/sunbed exposure helps it to spread.
I almost lost my mum to skin cancer when I was young - she was lucky that they caught the cancer in time.