Sunbed Users Twice As Likely To Use Anti-Ageing Beauty Products (PICTURES)

Sunbed users are twice as likely to use anti-ageing products than those who do not, a poll suggests.

Cancer Research UK said 43% of people who use sunbeds use anti-wrinkle creams and moisturisers compared to 20% of people who do not use them.

The poll of 2,500 UK adults found that a fifth of sunbed users start to use anti-ageing products by the time they are 25 in comparison to 5% of non-users.

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The charity, which released the poll as part of its sunbed awareness campaign R UV UGLY, warned that sunbeds can increase the risk skin cancer and can cause skin damage.

Rates of malignant melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, have more than quadrupled in Britain over the last 30 years, a spokesman said.

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Caroline Cerny, senior health campaigns manager at Cancer Research UK, said: "We live in an image obsessed culture, and know many sunbed users continue to use them because they think they look better with a tan. But actually they are making their skin look worse.

"Sunbeds can result in premature ageing and wrinkles, as well as increased pigmentation on the skin. And these results show interestingly, that sunbeds users are spending more on anti-ageing products than those who don't use sunbeds - perhaps in an attempt to cover up the damage.

"No one wants to look older before their time and crucially using sunbeds also increases the risk of skin cancer, so we hope having an R UV UGLY skin scan will really help to change people's minds about using sunbeds."

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