Why hasn’t the uk banned sunbeds?

I'm going to potentially get a little controversial here...


but I'm sticking my neck on the line and saying that I 100% think that the UK should ban sunbed use.

This post comes from a conversation that I heard between two women in a shopping centre yesterday, who were planning a sunbed session for tomorrow - their third this week. "I don't look brown enough and Benidorm is only next week". FFS.

Skin cancer is the 5th most common cancer in the UK, and cases of skin cancer have risen dramatically since the 1990s. 48 people get the news that they have skin cancer EVERY DAY. Yet for some reason, people don't take it as seriously as other cancer types.

While not all types of skin cancer are as deadly as others, even less aggressive types can require surgery that leave you permanently disfigured or scarred. And let's not forget the ones that cause 6 people in the UK to die every single day.

But what's worse is that the vast majority are entirely preventable if you do your best to protect your skin. And although many of us are increasingly aware of this and slather on the SPF at every opportunity, there are still people who use sunbeds regularly just for pure vanity.

Sorry, but if you're that worried about your tan, get a spray one instead!

Sunbeds massively increase your risk of developing skin cancer, and it's estimated that skin cancer costs our NHS upwards of £500 MILLION QUID every year. I don't give a sh!t how much "revenue" sunbed shops generate, or how many jobs they provide. It shouldn't be at the expense of people's health or our NHS.

The Manchester Cancer Research Centre estimates that if the NHS invested in a public health campaign to support the ban on sunbeds, skin cancer cases could be significantly reduced. Cancer Research UK (CRUK) and the British Association of Dermatologists have called for stronger government intervention. So what the hell are we waiting for?!


Caveat: I am aware that sunbeds can be used in a medical context, for treatments such as severe psoriasis where the benefit to patient's quality of life can outweigh the risk. I had the treatment myself when I was a child, but it was carefully monitored and controlled. It's not ideal, but it's an entirely different scenario.