YOUNG SUNBED USERS 'HAVE SKIN MUTATIONS OF 80-YEAR-OLDS'
Tanning bed users in their 30s and 40s may look like they have a healthy glow, but they could also have more skin mutations than an 80-year-old, scientists say.
For the first time, researchers have shown that younger people who use sunbeds undergo dangerous and irreversible genetic changes that would not usually show up until old age.
Scientists at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and Northwestern University found that younger people who used sunbeds had more mutations than elderly people, putting them at increased risk of cancer.
Dr Bishal Tandukar, a postdoctoral scholar in dermatology at UCSF, said: “We found that tanning bed users in their 30s and 40s had even more mutations than people in the general population who were in their 70s and 80s. The skin of tanning bed users appeared decades older at the genetic level.”
Around 15,000 people a year in Britain are diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer, which is triggered by ultraviolet (UV) light exposure. However, experts estimate that nearly nine in 10 cases were preventable.
Dermatologists warn of dangers
It is illegal in the UK for under-18s to use sunbeds or sunlamps, and the British Association of Dermatologists advises avoiding them at any age.
The NHS says they should not be used repeatedly in a short period; if you have a history of skin cancer, or if you have fair or sensitive skin.
The authors of the study looked at the medical records of more than 32,000 dermatology patients, examining their sunbed use, history of sunburn and family history of melanoma. They obtained skin samples from 26 donors and sequenced 182 cells.
The tanning bed users in their 30s and 40s had more skin mutations than people twice their age, especially in their lower backs – an area that is not normally likely to be damaged by sunlight, but has a great deal of exposure on tanning beds.
b'Dr A Hunter Shain, associate professor at the UCSF Department of Dermatology, said: “The skin of tanning bed users was riddled with the seeds of cancer – cells with mutations known to lead to melanoma.
“We cannot reverse a mutation so it is essential to limit how many mutations accumulate in the first place. One of the simplest ways to do that is to avoid exposure to artificial UV radiation.”
The World Health Organization classifies sunbeds as group one carcinogens, like tobacco smoke and asbestos, but tanning beds remain legal for adults and popular.
Some studies suggest they actually lower the chance of an early death, with the benefits of ultraviolet light outweighing the risks from skin cancer.
Last year, the University of Edinburgh found that while those with a higher estimated UV exposure had a slightly increased risk of being diagnosed with melanoma, their risk of dying from the condition was not higher.
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Sunlight is known to bring benefits to human health, including creating vitamin D, which helps the body absorb calcium, reduces inflammation and strengthens the immune system. Vitamin D also improves cognitive function and glucose metabolism, lowering the risk of diabetes.
UV light helps regulate the body clock, keeping sleep and other biological rhythms in sync, which is crucial to health and longevity. Some studies have shown that sunlight can lower blood pressure.
Other researchers have pointed out that sunbeds and sun exposure are likely to differ depending on where people live. Those in more northerly climates, who may not get enough sunlight, could benefit from some artificial exposure.
The new research is published in the journal Science Advances.
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