Laws on selling sunbed sessions to under-18s need to be ‘toughened’

There have been calls for the legislation in Northern Ireland around sunbed use to be “tightened”.

In Northern Ireland, under-18s are not allowed to use sunbeds and local councils have the power to fine salons breaking the rules.

Michele Slane started using sunbeds when she was 17 and later found out she had malignant melanoma. The west Belfast woman took sunbed sessions once a week and “didn’t think I used them that much”.

Ms Slane said she thought it would “never happen to me”.

Factors that increase the chances of getting melanoma include age, having pale skin, a large number of moles and a family history of skin cancer. But the main cause is exposure to UV rays, which comes from the sun and is used in sunbeds.

Speaking on Good Morning Ulster, Ms Slane said it’s not just young women, but young men who are also using sunbeds.

“It’s the young boys and to me young boys aren’t gong to be aware of changes if they have moles,” she said.

“It’s frightening, because these kids are never going to know.”

“What’s going to happen to these boys,” she added.

“These kids need to be well aware of what the consequences could be.”

Trudy Stanfield is a senior environmental health officer at Belfast City Council.

She said councils in Northern Ireland have a running programme where they visit sunbed salons and carry out test purchases using under-18s and if a sale is made, the business receives a fixed penalty notice and has to pay £250.

“It’s quite a big deterrent on a small business,” she said, but added, “some businesses have been fined in more than one occasion”.

The Sunbed Act 2012 requires salons to provide customers with an information leaflet that lists the risks and they need to display a warning notice in the shop, as well as provide eye protection.

“Some salons are continuing to sell to under-18s. A lot of salons are also not providing eye protection on occasions. They’re also not providing the information they should be.”

“I do feel the legislation could be toughened up,” she said.

“A lot of young people are still reading their phones and using their phone while using the sunbed which is very concerning.”

“Young boys are becoming more interested in sunbeds, particularly sports people.”

Ms Slane said the fine is “nothing” to many salons, because “I know the footfall they have, so I definitely don’t think that’s a deterrent.”

She used to work at the haematology department at the Belfast Trust and remembers seeing pictures of cancer but was still “very taken aback” when she got a positive diagnosis.

“To think that it did happen and you had been advised all those years ago and you didn’t take no heed, it was really, really shocking,” she said.

The Public Health Agency (PHA) has said, external skin cancer makes up more than 30% of all cancers detected in Northern Ireland and is usually caused by exposure to UV rays.

It can be divided into two types: melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers.

Melanoma is a type that can spread to other areas of the body. The most common sign is the appearance of a new mole or a change in an existing mole.

This can happen anywhere on the body, but the back, legs, arms, and face are most commonly affected.

In most cases, melanomas have an irregular shape and more than one colour.

They may also be larger than normal moles and can sometimes be itchy or bleed.

The most common symptom is the appearance of a new mole, or a change in an existing one.

This could be a change in colour, shape or size, or if the mole has become painful or itchy.

The NHS also advises people to see their GP if they find a new or unusual mark on your skin that has not gone away after a few weeks.

Asymmetry: two halves differ in shape

Border: edges irregular or jagged

Colour: uneven/patchy; shades of black, white, grey, brown or pink; two or more colours = suspicious

Diameter: for most melanomas, at least 6mm

Evolving: changing in size, shape or colour

‘Funny’: if it looks odd, or you aren’t happy about it for any reason get it checked