A WOMAN was left with a shockingly intense tan after making a simple mistake on a sunbed.
Charlie Urwin, 20, from Houghton-le-Spring, UK, was getting ready for her holiday in the way she knows best – by topping up her tan.
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A regular sunbed user for the past year, Charlie decided to up her time from 12 minutes to 15 in the hope of a golden glow.
However, the call centre agent immediately realised something was wrong the moment she stepped out of the sunbed and noticed her skin was noticeably darker than usual.
Charlie explained that although the intense tan eventually faded, the experience served as a wake-up call and made her rethink her approach to tanning.
She added that the mishap has encouraged her to stick to the recommended time slot in the future and be more cautious with her sunbed use.
Posting the footage to social media, the clip went viral, hitting over 500,000 views.
The jaw-dropping tan left people torn over it being their dream tan colour or fearful over the long term health effects of sunbeds.
One viewer said: “How does it feel to be living my dream.”
Another commented: “You’re a beautiful girl, you don’t need to be damaging your skin like that, because respectfully the damage is visible.
”You are beautiful as you are.”
Someone else chimed in with their horrific experience, writing: ”My mum got skin cancer from sunbeds.”
”Work on self love. You are worthy and perfect as you were made and you don’t need to change a thing about your natural appearance,” a fourth advised.
A former sunbed lover wrote: ”I did sunbeds too much when I was younger, bad crows feet and red cherry spot that cannot be removed as near my eyes. don’t do it.”
The NHS strongly advises against using sunbeds, as they pose significant health risks, including an increased risk of skin cancer, premature skin aging, and sunburn.
If you choose to use a sunbed, they emphasise how crucial it is to follow the recommended exposure times and seek guidance from the sunbed operator and always wear eye protection.
Risks of sunbeds
THE promise of a constant glowing tan is too tempting for some people to deny.
But while popping to the sunbed shop may seem harmless, people who use tanning beds should be aware of the risks.
Approximately 10 per cent of the population of Northern Europe use sunbeds on a regular basis, the World Health Organization says.
Some people use them for years on end, accumulating risk of serious disease.
We are here to give you the lowdown on sunbeds and if they are safe to use.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), sunbeds are as dangerous as smoking.
Like the sun, they give out harmful UV rays that damage the DNA in your skin cells.
Over time, this may lead to malignant melanoma – the deadliest form of skin cancer – studies have shown.
According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), there is significant evidence to show that using tanning beds causes melanoma.
They report that sunbeds increase the risk of skin cancer by up to 20 per cent, and also state that they have no positive benefits to our health.
Cancer Research back this statistic, adding that ” there is no such thing as a safe tan from UV radiation”.
One study found that sunbeds can almost double the risk of cancer compared to never using them – with women 83 per cent more likely to develop the disease.
While some people think tanning beds are safer than sitting out in the midday sun, according to Cancer Research, the risk is still twice as high when compared to spending the same amount of time in the Mediterranean sun at lunch time.
The Sunbed Association claim there is not enough evidence to link sunbed use with melanoma, adding: “It is over-exposure and burning that will increase a risk of skin cancer, not responsible UV exposure.”
But the WHO says: “The majority of tanning parlours provide inadequate advice to their customers.
“The use of eye protection such as goggles or sunglasses should be mandatory.
“However, as sunbed users aim to have an even tan, they often decide against protecting any part of their body.”
Referring to the link with skin cancer, the world health experts add: “Sunbeds for self-tanning purposes have been available for the last two decades and due to the long latency period for skin cancer and eye damage it has been difficult so far to demonstrate any long-term health effects.
“Even though the causes of malignant melanoma are not fully understood, tumour development appears to be linked to occasional exposure to intense sunlight.
“Sunbeds subject their users to intermittent high exposures of UVA and UVB radiation – this may provide the ideal setting for the development of malignant skin cancer.
“However, the few epidemiological studies that have been carried out to date have not provided any consistent results.”
Despite the WHO’s cautious stance on the skin cancer link, it discourages the use of sunbeds, quoting an expert who said the use of tanning parlours is like “an industrial-scale radiation exposure experiment”.
Regardless of skin cancer, sunbeds don’t just have long-term health risks.
Users have reported a range of short-term symptoms including itching, dryness and redness of skin, freckling and photosensitivity.
Common outcomes in the longer term, especially in fair-skinned people, may involve blistering of the skin.
“Sagging and wrinkling of the skin are an almost certain price to be paid by frequent sunbed users”, the WHO says – not quite the outcome you hope for when going to the sunbed shop for a beautiful, youthful look.
Sunbed risks
Sunbeds have long been linked to skin cancer and have even been banned in countries like Brazil and Australia.
According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), there is significant evidence to show that using tanning beds causes melanoma.
They report that sunbeds increase the risk of skin cancer by up to 20 per cent, and also state that they have no positive benefits to our health.
Sharing her expertise, Carol Cooper, Sun Doctor, said: ”Let’s be clear about sunbeds. It’s not just ‘some’ experts that say they’re bad for your skin. It’s almost all of them.
”Actually, anyone who’s ever used a sunbed is at least 20% more likely to develop malignant melanoma, the deadliest skin cancer.
”UV rays damage the DNA in skin cells, so they’re more likely to mutate into cancer. You don’t even have to burn for it to happen.”