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Summer Will See Increased Sunbed Use

As more users complain they won’t afford to go on vacation

May 12, 2009 17:51 GMT  ·  By
Sunbed use expected to increase this summer, as people complain they don’t have money to go on holiday
   Sunbed use expected to increase this summer, as people complain they don’t have money to go on holiday

Despite repeated warnings from health experts and concerned authorities, more and more people become fans of fake-tanning or sunbeds. This summer will even see an increase in their number, as they all claim recession has literally killed all their chances of going on vacation, so sunbed tanning will be the only way available to look good, as OnMedica informs.

According to a recent study conducted by Cancer Research UK, sunbed users say that the dire economic situation will virtually prevent them from hitting the beach for a tan, which only leaves them with the much cheaper and convenient alternative of going to the salon. A fifth of these users have even admitted that they would be spending more time on the sunbed this summer precisely for this reason.

The survey included over 2,000 Britons, a third of which vouched their chances of leaving on a holiday have been killed by the economic downturn. Almost a fifth of all sunbed users, meaning an overwhelming 19 percent, have voiced their intentions of increasing their use to get that sun-kissed look, regardless of the consequences of such an act in the long term.

“As the recession takes its toll on people’s holiday plans, what is clear is that a tan is still something that many people value and aspire to. Using a sunbed may seem like a cheap, quick fix to achieve that summer glow, yet while the process may only take a few moments, the damage can last a lifetime.” SunSmart campaign manager Katy Scammell says for OnMedica, pointing out using sunbeds for a fake tan is seriously damaging for the skin in the long run.

The latest research comes on the heels of another worrying study, also conducted under the SunSmart campaign, which indicated that tanorexia or tan-binging alone was responsible for the increasing number of skin cancer cases in the UK. With more and more salons having sunbeds that do not require any assistance from a staff member (a coin suffices to operate most of them), and no one to verify the age of the user or the frequency they get tanned, girls as young as 12 are putting themselves at risk for a mere tan, it was said.

SunSmart also emphasizes that a good alternative to sunbeds is the healthier, more convenient spray tan.