2nd October 2025 – BMJ Press Release
Commercial sunbeds should be banned in the UK, say experts in BMJ article (co-authored by Melanoma Focus).
Professor of Medical Oncology Paul Lorigan and colleagues argue that despite regulation commercial sunbeds remain popular with young people and are adding to the national skin cancer burden.
“Using sunbeds causes Melanoma and other skin cancers, particularly among young people, yet existing sunbed legislation is ineffective and there is little evidence that stricter rules would help protect the most vulnerable”, say Paul Lorigan and colleagues.
“Indoor tanning is experiencing a boom in popularity, particularly among Gen Z (born 1997-2012), with social media promoting sunbeds as integral to wellness”, they explain. “For example, a 2024 survey of 2,003 people in the UK by Melanoma Focus found that 43% of respondents aged 18-25 used sunbeds, half of them at least weekly, with many unaware of the associated dangers”.
Despite a ban on under 18s using sunbeds in England and Wales in 2011, a 2025 survey by Melanoma Focus of 100 UK 16-17 year olds found that 34% were still using sunbeds.
Neither the number nor location of sunbed outlets in the UK are monitored, point out the authors. Data from websites and social media in January 2024 identified 4,231 sunbed outlets in England and 232 in Wales, with density per 100,000 population highest in north west and north east England and in the most deprived areas.
The distribution of sunbed outlets also correlates with melanoma rates in young people, with the highest rates in north England, they add. Over 2,600 new diagnoses were recorded annually in 25-49 year olds in England during 2018-20, with two thirds of cases in women, and 146 deaths.
Read the full bmj article here
