Commercial sun loungers should be banned in the UK, urged health experts. The use of sun loungers causes melanoma and other skin cancer, especially among young people, the experts claimed. They also criticized the inefficiency of the existing sun lounger legislation.There is little evidence that stricter rules would help protect the most vulnerable, says Professor Paul Lorigan and colleagues, in an editorial that is shared on BMJ.
Why ban sun loungers?
Indoor brown has seen a boom in recent years, especially among Gen Z, with social media that promotes sun loungers as integrated into wellness. According to the latest surveys, 28% of the British public loungers use. Its popularity among young people is particularly about. A survey in 2024 of 2,003 people in the UK found that 43% of respondents aged 18-25 used sun loungers. Of these, half of them visited at least every week, and many are not aware of the dangers in connection with it. A survey by Melanoma Focus, which involved 100 British youth (16 & 17-year-olds) this year found that despite a ban on 18 years, sunbeds used in England and Wales 2011 still used 34%. The authors also pointed out that neither the number nor the location of sun loungers in the UK is monitored.
Industry requirements are only claims
According to the information, 4,231 sun loungers outlets were identified in 2024 in England and 232 in Wales, with density per 100,000 population highest in the northwest and northeastern England and in the most deprived areas.The authors also emphasized that the distribution of sun loungers also correlates with melanoma Prices in young people, with the highest prices in northern England. In 2018-2020, over 2,600 new cases of melanoma were reported annually in 25-49 year olds in England. Two -thirds of cases were reported in women, resulting in 146 deaths.
“The current situation in the UK is a clear example of an under -regulated industry that aggressively markets a harmful product to a vulnerable population. Many people use indoor brown to improve their self -esteem and in the wrong belief that it provides a” base brown “that prevents sun damage to their skin. Such marketing promotes inequalities in health with serious social injuries. Claims that modern sun loungers are safer not substantiated by evidence of their measured radiation, ”they said.
The authors have urged an “immediate prohibition” against commercial sun loungers. They also emphasized the need to educate people, as it is the “most cost -effective solution to reduce skin cancer, save lives and facilitate the burden on NHS.”“The UK Government has pledged to prioritise prevention and to reduce health inequalities. Commercial Sunbeds Target Those who are most disadvanted and susceptible to harm. Enhanced Efforts to encourage a genes are like. Effect. A Ban on Commercial Sunbeds is the First Step In This Process.
