Tanning myths

Sunbeds build a tan safely

Unfortunately, limiting your time on a sunbed will not do much to protect your skin from damaging and ageing. In fact, short periods of intense, irregular exposure to UV, as happens on a sunbed, is the fastest way to damage your skin. Sunbeds age your skin.

A tan will protect me from the sun

A tan offers limited protection from sunlight or burning. At most, a sunbed tan is the equivalent to a sunscreen with SPF of just 2-4, not enough to keep you safe in the sun. And if you don't tan easily in the sun, you won't tan easily on a sunbed.

Being tanned is a sign of health

If your skin changes colour, it's a sign it's had too much exposure to UV. UV rays from sunbeds not only harm your skin, but without goggles, it can also damage your eyes and lead to irritation, conjunctivitis, cataracts and eye cancer.

I need to burn to get a tan

Burning or going red under a sunbed is a sign that you have seriously damaged your skin. UV can penetrate deep into the skin's layers and change the DNA in our skin cells.

Cells damaged by UV are at greater risk of mutating and then dividing uncontrollably, which is what happens in cancer. If you have fair or freckly skin that tends to burn, you are at even greater risk of damaging your skin.

Sunbeds make me look better

We each have our own tanning limits. No matter how much UV you receive there comes a point when your skin won't get any darker. The more time you spend on sunbeds, the greater your chance of doing long term damage to your skin.

Sunbeds can cause your skin to lose its smooth, supple texture and become coarse, leathery and wrinkled.

I'm young - skin damage from sunbeds isn't something I need to worry about

Actually, sunbeds are particularly dangerous for young people. Using sunbeds before the age of 35 increases your risk of developing skin cancer by up to 75 per cent.

Melanoma is the second most common cancer amongst 20-39 year olds and can be fatal. You can't always see the damage UV does straight away. It builds up over time, but every time you use a sunbed, you are harming your skin and worsening it's appearance in the long run. This damage is permanent. Surgical treatment for skin cancer can result in serious scarring.

I need a sunbed to produce vitamin D

Vitamin D is essential for good health and is produced by your skin when it is exposed to UV rays as well as being present in certain foods. Casual exposure to the sun on our skin produces adequate amounts of vitamin D, so you don't need a sunbed to get your vitamins!

The amount of UV it takes to make enough vitamin D is always less than the amount that causes reddening or burning. For most people, if normal levels are built up in the summer, our bodies store enough of the vitamin to last us through winter.

If you are worried about your vitamin D levels talk to your GP about changing your diet, getting out and about more, or taking vitamin supplements.