Look Who’s Talking:
Suntan Risks — More Than Skin Deep As the summer months arrive, more and more people are jetting off for their first overseas holiday since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of them will say they are looking forward to a well-earned break or to ‘get some sun’, and they might have tried to get a suntan in advance by using a tanning booth.
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art of this taps into one of the biggest health myths around, which is that a bronzed and tanned appearance is linked to good health and wellbeing.
Dr Roger Henderson Senior GP, Media Advisor and Health Writer Dr Roger Henderson has worked in the NHS for almost 40 years and has been a GP since 1990. He is a health broadcaster, conference speaker and columnist for many national newspapers and magazines, including the Times and Spectator. He is the consultant clinical writer for the Healthily website and a judge for the annual national GP awards. His spare time is spent wondering what it would be like to have some spare time. His website is www.drhenderson.co.uk.
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The use of tanning salons in the UK is continuing to increase. A major motivating factor in people wanting to get a suntan is to enhance their general appearance to others[1] and make them more attractive to potential partners if they are looking for a relationship. In adolescent women, the desire to tan is driven by appearance and mood enhancement;[2] young men who are bullied, are overweight or have low selfesteem are also more likely to tan.[3] Ninety per cent of women perceive tanned skin as more attractive than pale skin.[4]
this is actually evidence of visible DNA injury to your skin, damaging your skin cells and speeding up the visible signs of ageing. Worse than this, tanning significantly increases your risk of all skin cancers, such as basal and squamous cell cancer and melanoma. This damage starts with your very first tan and every time you subsequently expose your skin to UV rays the damage increases, creating more genetic mutations and greater risk. Continued on Page 14
There is – of course – a gaping hole in this narrative: there’s no such thing as a safe or healthy tan. In fact, it’s the complete opposite. When your skin reacts to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun or a tanning bed, 13
