A study due to be presented at the British Association of Dermatologists annual meeting in Manchester this week has found that the average age at which young people start using sunbeds is just 12 years old.

The research, involving 755 secondary school pupils from across Ireland, is the country’s largest study ever undertaken looking at avoidable skin cancer risk factors among the 14-18 age group.

The aim was to assess sunburn history, sun-protection habits (including sunscreen use), sunbed usage rates and attitudes towards sun and sunbed exposure among teenagers.

Eight per cent of respondents had used sunbeds, increasing to 11 per cent in the capital city, Dublin. Worryingly, six per cent had used sunbeds over 25 times in the previous year.

The average age of sunbed use was 16.2 years, with the average age of first sunbed use being 12.9 years. The youngest age of reported use was, shockingly, seven-years-old.

Further to this, only 26 per cent of sunbed users had been given any advice prior to use and 66 per cent of users were left unsupervised.

The study also found that 91 per cent of students had been sunburned. Teenagers were twice as likely to apply sunscreen regularly while abroad on sunshine holidays, than to apply it during the summer months in Ireland, suggesting a lack of understanding that sunburn can occur at home as well as abroad.

42 per cent of sunbed users were male, and most teenagers used sunbeds in beauty salons (29.3%). 20 percent were spending 11 to 30 minutes at a time on sunbeds, a worrying figure since 20 minutes on a sunbed can be equivalent to spending four hours in the sun*.

86 per cent of sunbed users believed that a tan makes you more attractive; 81 per cent believed a tan looked healthy; 61 per cent thought that sunbeds are a good way to create a base tan before going on holiday; and 53 per cent believed sunbeds to be a good treatment for acne. Whereas 72 per cent of non-sunbed users believed a tan makes your more attractive; 70 per cent thought a tan looked healthy; 22 per cent thought it useful to create a base tan; and 18 per cent believed sunbeds to be a good treatment of acne.

Sunbeds are a group 1 carcinogen, with indoor tanning placing users at a 48 per cent higher risk of developing non-melanoma skin cancer. 72 per cent of interviewed sunbeds users were aware that sunbeds were harmful, suggesting that concerns over skin cancer are being outweighed by the desire to be tanned.

Miriam Fitzgerald, co-author of the study said: “Studies have shown that first use of a sunbed when aged under 35 years increases the risk of later developing melanoma by 75 per cent, so our findings that eight per cent of teenagers are using sunbeds is a worry. Even more concerning is that those who use sunbeds are starting, on average, at age 12. National legislation banning the use of sunbeds by persons aged under 18 years was introduced in 2014, four months after our study ended. We plan to revisit schools to assess whether the ban, once established, has any effect on the above results.

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Notes to editors:

Study details: Ambient and sunbed ultraviolet radiation exposure: exposure rates, protection habits and attitudes of Irish teenagers aged 14–18 years before introduction of national sunbed legislation
M. Fitzgerald,1 S. Daly,2 D. McKenna,2 J. Bourke3 and A. Kelly3
1Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland, 2Sligo Regional Hospital, Sligo, Ireland and 3South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital, Cork, Ireland

If using this study, please ensure you mention that the study was released at the British Association of Dermatologists’ Annual Conference.

The conference will be held at Manchester Central from July 7th to 9th and is attended by approximately 1,300 UK and worldwide dermatologists.

For more information please contact: Nina Goad, Head of Communications, 0207 391 6094 or mobile 07825567717 during conference week, or email: nina@bad.org.uk, Website: www.bad.org.uk

The British Association of Dermatologists is the central association of practising UK dermatologists. Our aim is to continually improve the treatment and understanding of skin disease.

*http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/21057439/newsbeat-guide-to-sunbeds-and-tanning