Now surgeons call for cancer warning labels on sunbeds

TANNING booths and sunbeds should be branded with gruesome cigarette packet-style health warnings in a bid to discourage young people from using them, say top plastic surgeons.

Sunbeds emit extreme levels of ultraviolet (UV) rays, and are known to dramatically increase the risk of skin cancers, particularly if exposure occurs before the age of 25.

Those with fair skin and a history of sunburn in childhood are most at risk.

Despite awareness campaigns from cancer charities and a ban on under-18s visiting indoor tanning salons, an estimated 62,000 children aged 11 to 17 still regularly use sunbeds, according to recent research.

As a result, doctors say they are seeing rising numbers of young adults being diagnosed with late-stage melanoma skin cancer, requiring drastic treatment, as a result of the dangerous trend for having an all-year-round tan.

The British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS) is calling for salons and sunbeds to be plastered with images of patients who have been disfigured by melanoma skin cancers – and a ban on colourful designs and tempting imagery that suggest a tan is healthy.

The move would mirror changes to tobacco branding that was first introduced in 2009, and now requires cigarettes to be sold in plain packaging.

BAPRAS president Ruth Waters added: ‘We would like the removal of the use of sunbeds altogether, but a minimal step forward would be to display images of skin cancers in tanning shops and on sunbeds, in a similar way to displaying the effects of smoking on cigarette packaging.’