No such thing as a safe tan

Although some advice says that avoiding sunburn is crucial, researchers have concluded that any tan is risky, whether from sunshine or sunbed.

The UK and US scientists said there was solid evidence that tanning and cancer both start with DNA damage from ultraviolet (UV) rays. They called for a ban on children using sunbeds, and any publicity claiming sunbeds were a safer option.

It has proved hard for scientists to conclusively blame the use of sunbeds for increasing cancer risk, but evidence has now emerged, with one study suggesting the risk of melanoma increased by 75% in people who started using sunbeds under the age of 35.

The latest review, published in the journal Pigment Cell and Melanoma Research, say that exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation is the "most avoidable" cause of skin cancer. Dr David Fisher, president of the Society of Melanoma Research, said that getting a tan and the earliest stages of melanoma shared this common factor.