A ‘heartbreaking’ new study has found that nearly one-quarter of Irish people think sunburn is worth it for a tan.

The survey by UCC Professor Michelle Murphy found that nearly half of people sunbathe during good weather in Ireland.

Of those, nearly 46% said they think it is worth getting ‘slightly sunburned’ to get a tan.

Meanwhile, 41.5% of people said they had used tanning beds at least once in their life and 10.6% have used them within the past year.

On Newstalk Breakfast, Consultant Dermatologist Isabel Haugh said the findings were hugely troubling. 

“It breaks my heart to read this type of thing knowing how dangerous that tanning is for our skin,” she said.

Dr Haugh said she was particularly worried to learn how prevalent the use of sunbeds are - despite the known risks they pose to a person's health. 

“Sunbeds are basically a source of intense UV radiation and taking one sunbed alone actually increases your risk of melanoma - which is our most dangerous type of skin cancer by 20% on average,” she said. 

“So, they are recognised as carcinogenic, they are completely unsafe, any form of UV tanning is dangerous for our skin but particularly sunbeds.”

Younger sunbeds users have an elevated risk of cancer and Dr Haugh said people with fair skin in particular should avoid them. 

“If you have used sunbeds before the age of 35, you’ve increased your risk of having some form of skin cancer by almost 60%,” she said. 

“So, they are incredibly dangerous - particularly in Ireland where a large portion of the population have skin that’s very vulnerable to the sun. 

“We have very fair skin, a lot of freckles - we are extremely vulnerable. 

“So, it is very alarming, it’s very frightening that so many people are using sunbeds.” 

Outright ban?

When asked if she thought sunbeds should be banned, Dr Haugh there she strongly agreed. 

“They are recognised by the World Health Organisation as being carcinogenic,” she said. 

“It’s incredibly dangerous for our skin and I think a lot of it just comes from myth, so I’m so excited to be on here this morning just to share that information that they are not safe. 

“A tan from UV radiation is your body’s response to damage - it’s not something that’s healthy or safe.”

For people who love how their body looks when they are tanned, Dr Haugh urged people to consider using some of the “amazing” fake tan products available in Ireland instead.

“I would absolutely encourage people to chose the bottle over the bed,” she said. 

Every year, almost 10,000 Irish people are diagnosed with non-melanoma skin cancer.

‘Beliefs, behaviours, and attitudes towards tanning and melanoma in the Irish population’, questioned 1,043 Irish people for their survey. 

You can listen back here:

Main image: A woman puts panthenol foam on her daughter's sunburnt back.