Sunbeds have been described as “cancer tubes” by a Cork oncologist, who also revealed that sunbeds are 15 times the strength of being out at midday in the Mediterranean during the summer.

This comes as a new TikTok trend has seen an uptick in Gen Z using ‘tanning beds’.

Despite the well-known health risks associated with sunbeds, younger users are describing the use of them as ‘Vitamin D therapy’ or ‘relaxation therapy’.

On Newstalk Breakfast, Consultant Medical Oncologist at Cork University Hospital Professor Seamus O’Reilly explained how serious the use of sunbeds is and how much it increases the chances of cancer.

“This trend on TikTok [is] very devious - they use the UV index in the environment, you're asked to upload a photo of your skin and then an Artificial Intelligence programme tells you how long to stay out,” he 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.

“So, it's very concerning, and unfortunately, we've known about sun exposure and being sunburnt and its relationship with skin cancer for some time.”

Empty sunbed switched on. Image: Alamy

In the oncology community, Prof O’Reilly revealed that sunbeds are referred to as “cancer tubes”.

“A woman less than 30 using a sun bed will increase her risk of melanoma by six times more than normal,” he said.

“We're also seeing that the trends from melanoma have changed in sunbed users.

“Usually, we would see melanoma in the face and in the arms the sun exposed areas and we're seeing it increasingly involving the chest, the abdomen, the back, because of this evolution.”

Close up shot of a brown raised skin mole, which can be a cause for melanoma. Image: Kurt Pacaud / Alamy Stock Photo

Prof O’Reilly said sunbeds are simply “not safe”.

“The scientific evidence is overwhelming about the negative health impacts of this [and] there's also concern that sun exposure and sunbed exposure accelerate ageing of skin,” he said.

“So, while people are hoping to remain youthful and attractive in their 20s as a Gen Z, we see people, for instance, who smoke, could come to the clinic and they're 50, but they look 65 - and that trend is going to happen as well.

“I guess the disappointing thing in this is that the influencers here are Gen Z, so they're dealing with their own tribe.

“I would really hope that there are voices in that community that would reverse influence.”

Woman in sunbed

Prof O’Reilly said this TikTok trend is seriously “destructive”.

“We see tremendous suffering in the cancer care community, unfortunately, despite huge advances in cancer care - and these are preventable cancers through measures that have been established for decades,” he said.

“We would encourage people to be responsible [not just] to others, but to themselves, in terms of this.

“We would hope that the influencers in the community would also, you know, raise their voices as well and highlight their concerns about this.

“This is a destructive trend which will cause enormous suffering in the years ahead.”

Man lying on a sunbed. Image: Alamy