Here in the UK we don’t get much sun, which is why the tanning industry is so lucrative. Every year, people spend thousands of pounds on tanning products and sunbeds in order to get a ‘healthy glow’, however recent reports have shown that overuse of sunbeds is having devastating effects on the UK public.

For example, Liverpool council has recently revealed that the city has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the UK, with cases rising by 129% since 2000 and the main cause being excessive use of sunbeds. Furthermore, a recent survey conducted by Liverpool council has revealed that eighty per cent of people in the area were not aware of just exactly how dangerous using sunbeds can be. Cancer Research UK has said that the chance of contracting melanoma (a form of skin cancer) increases by around sixty five per cent for first time sunbed users under the age of thirty five.

This is why the council has recently decided to teach children in schools the dangers of sunbeds and the signs of melanoma. Broughton Hall High School is just one school that has taken part in the scheme, and luckily it seems that the message has been getting across. Emma Howard, a pupil at the school, said: “It’s too serious to be risking it when there are other options like false tan, spray tans and make-up you could use instead and they give the same effect.” Meanwhile, classmate Molly Madigan said: “I know now not to go anywhere near them [sunbeds] and I know I can tell people not to go near them because it’s not worth it.”

At the moment it is currently illegal for anyone under the age of eighteen to use a sunbed in the UK, however many local officials are claiming that it is extremely difficult to police this rule. Roy Gladden, Councillor for Liverpool council, said: “If you don’t know where they are we can’t check them. So they could be breaking health and safety regulations and basically giving people an over-powering of radiation poisoning. But we don’t know where they are because they don’t have to register and the government won’t allow us to have the powers to do so.”

In order to solve the issue of young children using sunbeds and the growing amount of cases of melanoma in the UK, some are calling for the government to place stricter regulations on sunbed salons. They argue that coin operated or un-manned tanning salons should be banned and that any business that offers sunbed treatments to their clients should be required to have a licence. Professor Harry Moseley, spokesman for the British Association of Dermatologists, added: “This proposed regulation would close loopholes, such as under-18s using unmanned tanning facilities, and see stricter enforcement for businesses that continue to irresponsibly use appliances that fail to meet standards, often producing radiant dose levels well over acceptable levels.

“Proportionate and sensible regulation of sunbeds is important to mitigate that risk and stem the rising tide of cases of skin cancer. Skin cancer cases in the UK are rising at an alarming rate and there is little doubt that sunbeds increase the risk of skin cancer in fair skinned populations.” Meanwhile, nurse Linda Mullen, a skin cancer specialist at Broadgreen Hospital in Liverpool, said: “UV light damages skin cells. That stays with the skin for many, many years, it is a life-long problem that these young girls have. Unfortunately they don’t appreciate it at the time – they want a tan and it’s a quick fix to get a tan.”

As a salon owner, you have a duty to protect the safety of your customers, and even though salon insurance can protect you against liability, placing your customers in danger could still ruin your reputation and your business. It is likely that salons who offer sunbed treatments to their customers will face tougher regulations in the future, however for now it is still important that owners ensure that all their customers who use sunbeds in their salons are over the age of eighteen and know the dangers that are associated with prolonged use.

However, The Sunbed Association’s chairman, Gary Lipman, has argued that the new regulations should be even stricter, and added: “Any issues about sunbed use can only exist when sunbeds are abused and used irresponsibly by people who should not and cannot tan. Therefore, it is disappointing that the final recommendations did not go as far as to require all salon staff to be properly trained.”

Photo by Tristanb / CC BY-SA 3.0