Revealed: The shocking invisible damage done to a woman's face after 14 years of sunbed use
- Scan taken by pioneering UV scanner which shows damage in stark detail
- Shows face of Kelly Hughes, 30, who has used sunbeds since she was 16
- Experts hope campaign will highlight long-term risks of sunbeds
- Using sunbed just once a month increases risk of skin cancer by 50%
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This shocking image shows the cosmetic damage done to a woman's face after 14 years of using sunbeds.
The in-depth picture shows clusters of unsightly damage under 30-year old Kelly Hughes' features which can lead to cancer.
It was taken by a pioneering UV skin scanner which shows up in stark detail the extreme damage caused beneath the surface when people lay under the machines.
Experts hope that their campaign will help highlight the dangers of sunbeds to youngsters, who are often inspired by shows such as The Only Way Is Essex to get a permatan.
This UV scan shows that after 14 years of using sunbeds, 30-year-old Kelly Hughes has clusters of unsightly pockmarks which can lead to cancer
Kelly started using sunbeds at the local gym when she was 16 to maintain a holiday glow. She said the results of the scan were shocking
UV rays from sunbeds or over-exposure to the sun can damage the skin's DNA and, over time, this damage can build up and lead to skin cancer
Kelly, an account manager from Beaconsfield, Bucks, said: 'I started using sunbeds at the local gym when I was 16 to maintain that holiday feel
'I would have more sessions in the winter as I did not want to look pale - my skin is freckly and moley so I knew I could be at risk of skin cancer but did not really want to think about that.
'When I look back at my university years I was tanned pretty much all the time. The results of the scan were a shocker. I was the oldest girl there and the UV damage was much worse than the others.
'It really made me think. It was scary. I have not had any sunbeds since - not for Christmas parties and not for New Year. I have been looking online for a bronzer.'
Skin cancer expert Dr Askari Townshend, who reviewed the X-rays, said: 'Kelly has easily the greatest degree of damage.
Clusters of speckled areas are seen right across the face. Her top lip has escaped but the cheeks, bridge of nose, sides of face and forehead have not.
It's hoped the campaign will highlight the dangers of sunbeds to youngsters often wanting to emulate the tans of The Only Way Is Essex stars, such as Sam Faiers (left) and Mark Wright and Lauren Goodger
This month Cancer Research UK is raising awareness of the danger of sunbed use with a campaign entitled 'R UV UGLY', backed by leading skin specialists sk:n clinics.
HOW TO SPOT SKIN DAMAGE
Fine and coarse wrinkles are seen on sun damaged skin. It may also become
patchy, or mottled darker patches of increased pigmentation may appear.
patchy, or mottled darker patches of increased pigmentation may appear.
Sometimes these patches become irregular and produce what are known as lentigos.
In areas around the back of the neck, a leathery texture and coarseness with deep lines is frequently seen, the skin may feel dry and scaly.
Chronic sun exposure will also produce a thickened layer in the upper dermis known as solar elastosis, which gives a yellowish chicken skin look.
The initiative aims to stave off the temptation to hit the sunbeds this winter by showing the ugly truth beneath the tan.
Figures show using a sunbed just once or more a month could increase the chance of developing skin cancer by 50 per cent.
Malignant melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, is the second most common cancer amongst 15 to 34 year olds.
The campaign will see experts touring shopping centres with the machines, which offer in depth images of faces, to let people see first-hand how damaged their skin might be.
It calls on people across the nation to face the damage, often invisible to the naked eye, being inflicted on their skin in pursuit of a tan, by offering free skin assessments at sk:n clinics across England.
The skin scan highlights such things as pigmentation and premature wrinkles, caused by overexposure to UV rays from sunbeds, a turn off for all young women worried about their appearance.
Cancer Research UK's senior health campaigns manager Caroline Cerny said: 'We are glad to be bringing R UV UGLY back to England this February.
The initiative aims to stave off the temptation to hit the sunbeds this winter by exposing the often unnoticed, long-term skin damage sunbeds can cause
'We have seen many young people know about the risks of sunbed use, but still believe they make them look and feel better.
'Working with sk:n, this initiative will allow people to see the cosmetic damage from sunbed use, showing every time someone uses a sunbed they are damaging their skin, making it look worse in the long run and making skin coarse, leathery and wrinkled.
'No one wants to look older before their time, so we hope the skin scan will really help to change people's minds about using sunbeds.
Spokesman David Djukic said: 'You may look perfectly fine on the surface but what the scanner does is show up what is going on underneath.
'Our model in the picture is just a member of the public who had been using sunbeds not even that much. Obviously, she was horrified, and is not using them any more.
'I think the message is getting home - the number of people using sunbeds is dropping year on year thanks to campaigns like this one that raise awareness about how dangerous they are.'
As well as the public being able to visit sk:n clinics, Cancer Research UK will be taking R UV UGLY on tour this month at major shopping centres in Sheffield, Manchester, Newcastle, Leeds and Essex.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2275071/The-shocking-damage-womans-face-14-years-using-sunbeds.html#ixzz2KFoAeGEq
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