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16th June 2025
11:21am BST
There is a growing concern about the increase in minors using sunbeds in Ireland. It is illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to use tanning beds in Ireland, but a new report has found that some tanning salons are ignoring the Public Health (Sunbeds) Act 2014.
The law states that it is illegal for businesses to allow under-18s to use tanning beds. However, a report by Extra.ie has revealed that some salons are ignoring the law.
They even claimed that children are using sunbeds before their First Holy Communion.
In 2024, the HSE sent supervised minors to tanning salons as part of its enforcement strategy.
11 out of the 50 tanning salons involved in the test allowed minors on sunbeds.
The Irish public has been warned, time and time again, about the risk of using sunbeds.
However, the warnings continue to go unnoticed.
One medical expert described the popular beauty treatment as a “cancer tube.”
The ultraviolet radiation in sunbeds damages the DNA in your skin, which then causes skin cancer.
Skin cancer is preventable, so we should do everything we possibly can to prevent it, including avoiding sunbeds.
Nine out of 10 cases of skin cancer are caused by too much exposure to UV radiation.
In an interview with Newstalk, Consultant Medical Oncologist at Cork University Hospital, Professor Seamus O’Reilly said:
“If you go do a suntan session, the sun exposure is 15 times greater than staying out in the midday sun in the Mediterranean, which is quite dramatic.
“Particularly in younger people, there’s a significant concern about the public health risks of sunbeds, with an increased risk of skin cancer and a 60% increase in the risk of melanoma.
Professor Seamus O’Reilly said it’s worrying to see the “cancer tubes” become so popular.
“A woman less than 30 using a sun bed will increase her risk of melanoma by six times more than normal,” he said.
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