Public urged to stop using sunbeds as expert describes them as ‘cancer tubes’

Medical experts are urging people to stop using sunbeds

One medical expert described the popular beauty treatment as a "cancer tube."

Even just one use can increase your chances of getting skin cancer but how do sunbeds damage our skin?

The ultraviolet radiation in sunbeds damages the DNA in your skin which then causes skin cancer.

Skin cancer is preventative so we should do everything we possibly can to prevent it, including avoiding sunbeds.

Nine out of 10 cases of skin cancer are caused by too much exposure to UV radiation.

The Irish Cancer Society said there are around 13,000 cases of skin cancer diagnosed every year.

If found early, 90% of skin cancers are curable.

"It's important to get to know your skin, check it every month for changes.

"You should always speak to your doctor if you are worried.”

Using a sunbed exposes your skin to high-intensity ultraviolet radiation. This can lead to the most common type of skin cancer; melanoma.

In an interview with Newstalk, Consultant Medical Oncologist at Cork University Hospital Professor Seamus O’Reilly said:

“If you go do a suntan session, the sun exposure is 15 times greater than staying out in the midday sun in the Mediterranean - which is quite dramatic.

“Particularly in younger people, there's a significant concern about the public health risks of sunbeds with an increased risk of skin cancer and a 60% increase in the risk of melanoma.

Professor Seamus O’Reilly said it's worrying to see the "cancer tubes" become so popular.

“So, it's very concerning, and unfortunately, we've known about sun exposure and being sunburnt and its relationship with skin cancer for some time.”

“A woman less than 30 using a sun bed will increase her risk of melanoma by six times more than normal,” he said.