One in 14 Stoke and Stafford youngsters use sunbeds, figures reveal
The use of sunbeds has been linked with skin cancer.
By Mark Astley and Laura Beaney: Children and teenagers in Staffordshire are risking their health by using tanning solariums.
Despite recent Government efforts to raise public awareness of the dangers of UV tanning, more than a 250,000 children across the UK still use sunbeds to achieve a tan.
A Cancer Research survey found the national average of 11-17 year olds using sunbeds is six per cent, with almost half using them at least once a week.
But this figure is even higher at 6.8 per cent in Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford.
Rachel Trigg works at Shades of Bronze, a Stoke-on-Trent tanning salon.
She says it’s important for children to be discouraged from using sunbeds: “We do not allow anybody under the age of 18 to use our sunbeds.
“At Shades of Bronze we always ensure that our customers are aware of the correct tanning procedure.”
Experts agree using sunbeds increases the risk of developing malignant melanoma, the most fatal form of skin cancer.
Sarah Woolnough, Head of Policy at Cancer Research UK, said: “There is clearly still a desire among large proportions of young people, particularly girls, to have a tan.
“There is now a large body of evidence that suggests that sun abuse is harmful. This is a really worrying find.”
For further information on the risks associated with sunbed use and advice on how to identify the early stages of cancer visit: www.cancerresearchuk.org.
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