Tanning honestly: what the evidence actually says

This page will not tell you what you may want to hear. UV tanning devices carry a real, well-documented cancer risk, and there is no safe way to use them.

There are two entirely different things sold under the word "tanning", and conflating them does real harm. One uses ultraviolet radiation to make your skin produce pigment. The other uses a chemical reaction to stain the dead cells on the surface of your skin. They look similar in the end. They are not remotely comparable in terms of risk.

UV sunbeds: the evidence

A sunbed produces ultraviolet radiation, chiefly UVA with some UVB. Ultraviolet radiation damages the DNA in skin cells. Enough of that damage, in the wrong places, causes cancer. This is not contested science.

• The World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies ultraviolet-emitting tanning devices as Group 1 — carcinogenic to humans. Group 1 is the agency's highest category of certainty, and it contains tobacco smoking and asbestos.
• The evidence associates sunbed use with an increased risk of melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer, and with non-melanoma skin cancers such as basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma.
• The risk is substantially higher when sunbed use begins at a young age. This is the specific finding that underpins the legal restrictions on under-18s.
• Ultraviolet radiation is also the principal driver of premature skin ageing: wrinkles, leathery texture, loss of elasticity and irregular pigmentation. The irony of a treatment sold on the promise of looking better is not lost on us.

The claims you will hear, and why they do not hold up

"A base tan protects you from burning on holiday." A tan acquired from a sunbed provides a negligible amount of protection — on some estimates equivalent to an SPF in the low single figures. To acquire it you must first sustain the DNA damage that the tan is a response to. You cannot get protection from a mechanism that is itself the injury.

"Sunbeds are safer than the sun because they're controlled." The intensity of the ultraviolet output on a sunbed can be considerably greater than midday summer sun. Controlled exposure to a carcinogen remains exposure to a carcinogen.

"I need a sunbed for my vitamin D." Vitamin D deficiency is a real issue in the UK, particularly in winter. The answer to it is a supplement, which is cheap, effective and carries no cancer risk. No public health body recommends sunbeds as a source of vitamin D.

"It helps my skin condition." Medically supervised phototherapy for conditions such as psoriasis is a genuine treatment, delivered under a dermatologist's care with tightly controlled wavelengths and dosimetry, and with the risks weighed. A commercial sunbed is not that, and using one instead is not a shortcut to it.

The UK legal position

• Under-18s are prohibited from using sunbeds at commercial premises. This applies across the United Kingdom. Businesses must not permit under-18s to use a sunbed, and must not allow them into a restricted area where sunbeds are used unsupervised. Operators are required to check age.
• Operators are also expected to provide health information about the risks of UV exposure to customers.
• Anyone offering to sell you sunbed sessions without an age check is breaking the law, and telling you something about how they treat the rest of their obligations.

Who should never use a UV sunbed

Beyond "nobody, ideally", the risk is particularly acute for anyone who:

• Is under 18.
• Has fair skin, red or fair hair, freckles or skin that burns easily.
• Has a large number of moles, or any atypical moles.
• Has a personal or family history of skin cancer.
• Has previously been badly sunburned, particularly in childhood.
• Takes photosensitising medication — some antibiotics, some acne treatments, some diuretics and others. Check with a pharmacist.
• Has a skin condition, or is pregnant.

Look after your moles

See a GP without delay if a mole changes in size, shape or colour; has an irregular or ragged edge; is more than one colour; is larger than about 6 mm; or is itching, crusting or bleeding. Skin cancer detected early is very often treatable. Detected late, it is a different conversation entirely.

The safer route

Sunless tanning — whether spray tan, mousse, lotion or drops — produces colour through a reaction between the amino acids in the surface layer of your skin and an ingredient called DHA. There is no ultraviolet radiation involved at any point. It is not a cancer risk. It is, on the evidence, the only sensible way to have a tan.

The one crucial caveat, and it is genuinely important: a sunless tan gives you no protection from the sun. Your skin is coloured, but it is exactly as vulnerable to ultraviolet damage as it was before. You still need SPF, and you still need it every day. See spray tanning for how it works, and skincare basics for sun protection year-round.

To find a salon that will do it properly, see choosing a salon. Back to the homepage.

Please note: we are an independent guide, not a salon or a clinic. This page is general information, not medical advice. If you have any concern about your skin, see a GP or a dermatologist.