Are sunbeds ever safe?
Use of tanning beds is surging. Experts are not impressed
No
“The WHO has classified sunbeds as a Group 1 carcinogen — the same category as cigarettes and plutonium,” says consultant dermatologist Dr Ophelia Veraitch. A 2021 analysis of 14,000 people with melanoma – the most serious form of skin cancer — “consistently showed an increased risk associated with sunbed use”. The Department of Health and Social Care’s Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment said in its report last month that using sunbeds before the age of 35 increases risk of melanoma by 75 per cent.
So severe are the risks that, in January, the British Association of Dermatologists said it would support a complete ban on commercial sunbeds in the UK, “citing well-established links between sunbed use and skin cancer, inconsistent enforcement of existing regulations,” says consultant dermatologist Dr Clare Kiely.
In June the BAD shared the Comare report, which mentions some sunbed operators making “false and unsubstantiated claims of health benefits”. These are often reinforced by further misinformation on social media. A government All-Party Parliamentary Group looking into UV safety has recently called for a ban on sunbed advertising.
Brazil, Iran and Australia have already banned sunbeds. “It’s been a very good thing in helping to reduce melanomas,” says aesthetic physician Dr Joseph Hkeik, who has clinics in Sydney and London. “The rest of the world needs to follow suit.” If nothing else, let your vanity hold you back. “As well as increasing cancer, sunbeds accelerate ageing; they damage the DNA of your cells and break down collagen.”
Some sunbed retailers claim to promote collagen by adding infrared light as well as the UV. “This is laughable,” says aesthetic specialist Dr Sophie Shotter. “The UV harms collagen exponentially more than any benefit you’d derive from red light.”
But what about…
Yet, despite the panoply of risks associated with UV light, sunbed users claim benefits include improved mood, treatment of inflammatory skin conditions, and increased vitamin D. There is evidence to suggest that exposure to UV light may help reduce skin inflammation, providing relief for conditions such as eczema, psoriasis and acne. It’s therefore possible for sunbeds to suppress symptoms of those conditions – but that’s not to say they offer a solution that is safe.
“Sunbeds expose the skin to artificial UV radiation, stimulating the skin to produce melanin – a tan,” explains Dr Veraitch. That tan can afford some protection, but only equivalent to SPF 3 (most dermatologists recommend SPF 30 at a minimum). Says Dr Veraitch: “Any tanning from the sun represents UV damage; the skin darkens to protect it from further damage.”
Dermatologist-approved light treatments work by harnessing specific, safe wavelengths of UVB light, which only affects the skin’s outer layer. “Commercial sunbeds deliver predominantly UVA light [the type that more deeply penetrates the skin], in poorly controlled doses, without clinical oversight,” says Dr Kiely. “It’s a wholly different thing.”
For the same reason, sunbeds are not a useful source of vitamin D. “You need UVB light to make vitamin D,” continues Dr Veraitch. Modern sunbeds, such as the Ergoline Sun Angel, claim to stimulate the production of vitamin D by controlling the interaction between UVA & UVB light – but, again, there are much safer solutions out there. You’re better off following the NHS advice to take vitamin D supplements – around 10 micrograms per day – especially in the winter months.