Staggering rise in sunbed searches in Wiltshire worries health experts
Over 6,000 searches were made online in 2024 by people in Wiltshire
Last updated 31st Jul 2024
A cancer specialist in the South West has told us he is concerned that more people are turning to sunbeds in the region.
Over the last four years, Wiltshire has seen a 118% increase in people searching for sunbeds online according to research by The Devonshire Clinic.
It's leading to major health concerns.
Wiltshire saw the largest increase in the south west, with over 6,000 searches for sunbeds and related key words made in 2024.
Dermatologist Dr Conal Perrett told us: "There's a continuing affinity to have tan skin.
"Many people, I guess, associate sun tan with being healthy and they feel better about themselves, they like the look of feeling tanned, but of course that doesn't necessarily mean it's good for you."
He added that the figures are 'worrying', considering the known relation between artificial tanning and skin cancer.
Dr Perrett explained that that when we expose our skin to ultraviolet radiation, it damages the DNA in our skin cells.
And while our bodies are able to repair that damage, it doesn't always work as it should, leading to mutations.
"When you get mutations you can then get skin cancers," Dr Perrett said, adding: "If you look at Melanoma, for example, that's one of the most deadliest types of skin cancer. If it's spreads to other parts of your body. 85 out of every 100 cases of Melanoma are linked to UV radiation."
Skin cancer can be deadly, with Dr Perrett telling us that it leads to just over 2,000 deaths each year in the UK.
Dr Perrett strongly advises against using a sunbed saying: "My overwhelming advice is to not utilise sunbeds, it increases your risk of skin cancer and skin cancer, in the most serious circumstances, can actually kill you."