County Durham woman with skin cancer backs calls for sunbed ban
The North East has one of the highest skin cancer rates among 25 to 49 year-olds every year
We're hearing the North East has one of the highest skin cancer rates among 25 to 49 year-olds every year.
It comes as leading cancer doctors are calling for an outright ban on sunbeds in the UK.
Karen Read is from Darlington, County Durham and she was diagnosed with Melanoma after using sunbeds.
She says she noticed moles on her leg and chest had changed in colour and size.
Karen said: "I know a lot of people think that skin cancer isn't serious but if you don't protect your skin, you're putting yourself at risk from any type of skin cancer, especially Melanoma that can spread to your major organs and can be lethal.
"I had a freckle on my thigh and one on my chest that had been there for a long time, they did change colour, they got darker, and I still didn't think it was anything until my son said that it didn't look right and it made me go to the doctors. It impacts your family when you're sat in that room and they tell you it's Melanoma, it's a shock.
"People don't think that it can be a killer but every week people are dying from Melanoma and dying from skin cancer. It does change, it changes into secondary, it can go to the brain, basically once it gets into the lymph nodes and it's going around, it can attach itself anywhere. It's a very sneaky and deadly thing Melanoma.
"It took quite a big toll on my family. My children got really upset, it triggered anxiety and it wasn't good but the outcomes are absolutely brilliant now. They caught mine early.
"It's a quicker recovery. There's less evasive treatments typically leading to shorter recovery times, enabling patients to return to their normal lives quicker. If cancer's caught early, it's less evasive."
Leading cancer doctors call for outright ban on sunbeds in the UK
Leading cancer doctors have called for an outright ban on sunbeds in the UK, warning that the tanning devices cause cancer.
Experts say tanning facilities are linked to areas where there are higher rates of skin cancer among young adults, particularly women.
Current regulations are "ineffective" and have had "little effect" on tanning bed use by young people, they added.
A new analysis piece, published in The BMJ, concludes that an outright ban is "likely to be cost effective for the NHS".
Professor Paul Lorigan, a melanoma expert at The Christie cancer hospital in Manchester, and colleagues, highlight how indoor tanning is experiencing a "boom in popularity, particularly among Gen Z", after social media posts suggest the use of the tanning devices are linked to wellness.
They highlight recent surveys that suggest up to 28% of the UK public use sunbeds, despite a 2009 ruling from the International Agency for Research on Cancer which said exposure to ultraviolet radiation from sunbeds was carcinogenic, leading to melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, and other skin cancers.
The new analysis says sunbed use will "continue to add to the burden of these cancers" without action.
"Existing sunbed legislation is clearly ineffective, and there is little evidence that stricter rules would help protect those who are most vulnerable," they wrote.
Their paper highlights how there are more sunbed outlets in the north west and north east of England, and generally fewer in southern England.
And the distribution of sunbeds is similar to that of melanoma rates among young people, with the highest rates in northern England, they add.
In England there are 2,600 cases of melanoma in England among people aged 25-49 every year, two thirds of them women.
"Regions in the north east and north west with high melanoma rates among 25-49 year olds are significantly correlated," the researchers add.
They highlight how even though teenagers are banned from using sunbeds in many countries, they still report high use.
They say that current regulation has "failed to prevent young people's use of sunbeds".
They conclude: "An immediate outright ban on commercial sunbeds alongside public education offers the most cost-effective solution to reduce skin cancer, save lives, and ease the burden on the NHS."