One in 50 Brits has ‘deadly addiction to sunbeds’ – with experts claiming ‘TOWIE tans’ could be to blame
ONE in 50 Brits is struggling with a deadly addiction to sunbeds, research suggests.
Experts developed a test to identify those at greatest risk of dodgy tanning practices.
Around 10 per cent of UK adults are regular sunbed users, according to the World Health Organization.
In a bid to uncover those most at risk, German scientists created a tool to screen for indoor tanning addiction.
They found 20 per cent of users showed signs of dependence.
Their findings are published in the British Journal of Dermatology.
Sunbed use is strongly linked to increased risk of skin cancer.
Experts warned their popularity and the growing desire for a TOWIE tan means the toll is rising among younger Brits.
Around 13,300 people are diagnosed with malignant melanoma – the deadliest type of skin cancer - in the UK each year.
And 2,100 Britons die from the disease annually.
SPOT THE SIGNS From irregular moles to ones that bleed and itch, learn the 15 signs YOU could have skin cancer
It is now the nation’s fifth most common cancer overall and the second most common in young adults aged 15 to 34.
Getting sunburnt once every two years can triple a person's risk of developing the disease.
A spokesman for the British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) said: “It's really important that people understand the dangers of tanning.
"The truth is that a tan is a sign of skin damage.
“The idea that tanned skin looks both healthy and attractive needs to be challenged, however, this is difficult as we have developed a cultural obsession with tanning, something that is constantly perpetuated through social media, television, and the internet.
YOU COULDN'T MAKE IT UP Here are the biggest beauty blunders of all time, from terrible tanning to incredible eyebrow fails
“Skin cancer [all forms] is the most common cancer in the UK so we really hope we start seeing a shift in peoples’ views on tanning and sunbeds, it’s a fashion that we’d really like to say goodbye to.”
German researchers developed a simple quiz to identify obsessive tanning – so they can get medical help.
Questions included whether users felt in control and craved the experience.
It was tested on 3,000 adults, including 330 sunbed regulars.
Lead researcher Dr Katharina Diehl of the Mannheim Institute of Public Health, Social and Preventive Medicine at Heidelberg University said: “It may help physicians and health care providers to identify individuals in particular need of specific counselling to avoid the continuous use of tanning beds.”
Nina Goad, from the BAD, said: “There is strong evidence that use of sunbeds increases the risk of skin cancers, including malignant melanoma which is the most deadly type.
“For people who start using sunbeds before the age of 35 years the relative risk of malignant melanoma almost doubles.”
Previously, we told you about the woman who posted a Facebook warning over a black line on fingernails after claiming a beauty shop worker spotted it on a client – ‘who has now been diagnosed with skin cancer’.
We also brought you the story of the brave mum who posts graphic daily photos of her face as she battles skin cancer which ‘ate away’ at her forehead.
