Health & Beauty: Still dying for a tan?

Apr 24 2008 by Emma Johnson, Liverpool Daily Post

Sunbeds are still popular, but as Emma Johnson reveals, a golden glow can have serious side- effects

WHEN Denise Van Outen spoke out last week about the scars she had been left with after years of sunbed use, I knew exactly what she was talking about.

The 33-year-old admitted that her teenage sunbed addiction has left her with pigmentation scars on her face which she still has to wear heavy make up to hide, saying: "I didn’t know the risks but I’m paying for it now. It’s my biggest regret.

"Now my tan’s from a bottle and safe."

Like Denise and so many other young women, I first started using sunbeds in my teens to get a bit of colour and to keep spots at bay and by my early teens I was going on once or twice a week and always had a quick blast before a special occasion.

I also loved to sit in the sun on holiday.

Then, three or four years ago, I started to notice a dark shadow across my forehead which steadily grew and went much darker when I had been in the sun.

A beautician friend diagnosed it as hyperpigmentation caused by excessive tanning.

Shortly afterwards, my husband was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma – a type of skin cancer.

Luckily, it was completely treatable, and following a skin graft he was fine but the two things completely changed my attitude to the sun.

I have not been near a sunbed for years now, I never use an SPF of less than 30 on holiday, and use a moisturiser every day with built-in protection and always keep my face completely shaded.

Although friends and family insist they cannot see the marks on my face these days, I know they are there and could have been prevented.

But I am actually thankful because in the long run my pigmentation problems could have saved my life.

The statistics on skin cancer certainly make for scary reading. According to a recent survey, commissioned by Cancer Research UK, eight out of 10 sunbed users have increased their risk of a life-threatening form of skin cancer by around 75%, by using a sunbed before the age of 35 and malignant melanoma, the potentially fatal form of skin cancer, is now the most common cancer in young adults aged between 15 and 34.

In an attempt to curb the increase, Cancer Research UK is campaigning for legislation to prevent under-18s using sunbeds and a ban on all unmanned coin- operated sunbeds.

"The results of our survey make for a stark warning to young people about the dangers of indoor tanning," warns Rebecca Russell, Cancer Research UK’s SunSmart campaign manager.

"You can’t always see the damage that UV does straight away.

"It builds up over time. But every time you use a sunbed you are harming your skin and increasing your risk of skin cancer.

"This year, our key message is to alert young people about the damage sunbeds can do to their skin, especially if they have fair skin that doesn’t tan easily."

Here in Liverpool, where pale and interesting just does not seem to cut it among the city’s young women, the news is even worse.

Only last month, our obsession with the sunbed was blamed for the dramatic increase in the number of cases of skin cancer being recorded in the region. "The number of malignant melanoma cases dealt with at the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen Hospitals has more than doubled in the past five years, from 50 to 110 last year.

"I think this is due to a number of factors, including childhood sunburn, excessive sunbathing and the increased number of young people using sunbeds excessively," says Dr Richard Azurdia, consultant dermatologist at the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen Hospitals.

Tanned celebrities are often to blame for young girls wanting to be brown but as Jane Gill, fashion and style director of teen magazine Sugar says, most celebrities these days are too scared of wrinkles and skin cancer to baste themselves electrically.

"There are so many amazing fake tan products now available on the market," she says.

"If having a tan makes you feel better and more confident about yourself then fake it!

"Fake Bake is one of the premier products on the market. Used by Coleen McLoughlin, Alex Curran and lots of other celebs, it gives the perfect-looking tan with no dangers involved.

"Our message to teens is, ’Say no to sunbeds and fake it!’."

emmajohnson@dailypost.co.uk

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