A ban on teenage girls using sunbeds is failing – because girls are determined to get round it, campaigners said today.
A study by Cancer Research UK found that girls are more concerned with the cosmetic benefits of a tan than with the risks of exposure to ultra-violet rays.
It is illegal for teenagers under the age of 18 to use sun-beds.
But campaigners say supervision standards in tanning salons are not up to the task of stopping under-age users.
Today researchers published the findings of focus group discussions with teenagers in the Journal of Public Health.
Teenagers said a tan made them feel more confident and felt essential for special events.
Researcher Dr Jeffrey Lake said: "The research shows us that the desire for tanned skin in young people is blinding them to the potential long-term health risks associated with regularly using sunbeds.
"We’re finding that their worries are cosmetic when they should really be thinking about the unseen damage they’re inflicting on themselves."
Next week Cancer Research UK is to launch a new skin health campaign, offering "cosmetic skin" scans.
Yinka Ebo, of Cancer Research UK, said: "This study shows that we need to persuade teenagers that damaging their health really isn’t justified by the promise of a tan.
"Sunbeds aren’t harmless and research has showed that using them for the first time before the age of 35 increases the risk of developing melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, by 59%."
Lake J et al, A qualitative investigation of the motivations, experiences and views of female sunbed users under the age of 18 in England. Journal of Public Health 30 January 2013; doi: 10.1093/pubmed/fds107
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