BANNING sunbeds could help prevent deaths caused by deadly skin cancer, new research has found.
Each year there are around 2,300 melanoma deaths in the UK – equating to more than six every day.
Experts at the University of Manchester found that stopping the use of indoor tanning beds in shops would result in 1,206 fewer cases and 207 deaths over the lifetimes of over half a million Brits.
Writing in the British Journal of Dermatology, medics said scrapping the beds would mean 3,987 fewer cases of other more common types of skin cancer, such as squamous cell and basal cell carcinomas.
These conditions, the experts say, impose a major burden on both affected patients and the NHS.
Whilst the policy could save lives, doctors say it would also save the health service close to £700,000.
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Experts explained that this would result in a Net Monetary Benefit of £10.6m with a 99 per cent likelihood that the ban, along with the information campaign would be cost-effective.
Paul Lorigan, a Professor of Oncology at The University of Manchester said: “If the NHS invested in a public health campaign to support the ban on sunbeds, we estimate that melanoma and other skin cancers would be significantly reduced, NHS resources would be saved and deaths averted.
“It is quite clear that melanoma and keratinocyte skin cancers have a significant impact on population health and healthcare budgets”.
Prof Lorigan who is also an honorary consultant medical oncologist at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust added that a proportion of these are attributable to indoor tanning.
“Anyone who has used a sunbed increases their risk of melanoma by almost 60 per cent .
“We show quite conclusively for the first time that banning indoor tanning supported by a public health campaign would be an efficient use of healthcare resources to reduce melanoma and other skin cancers in England.”
As part of the study, which coincides with Melanoma Awareness month, the team also factored in how the use of sunbeds has been beneficial for some people over the age of 18.
They concluded that the impact of indoor tanning and the savings that the NHS would accrue would be greater than then benefits to those individuals.
The NHS says that many sunbeds give out greater doses of UV rays than the midday tropical sun.
Guidance states that the use of the beds can cause your skin to age prematurely.
Professor Adele Green from The University of Manchester and the CRUK Manchester Institute added: “We already know that indoor tanning devices are strongly linked to melanoma and other skin cancers with resulting morbidity, mortality and increased healthcare costs.
