The tan that's to die for

It's a love affair that ought to have gone sour years ago. Skincare specialists have long said that sunbeds are not good for us and now comes the starkest warning yet that using a sunbed can significantly increase your chances of skin cancer. According to scientists, you're two and a half times more likely to develop squamous cell carcinoma if you use a tanning bed, and one and a half times more likely to develop basal cell carcinoma.

Yet three million people still regularly top up their tans or prepare themselves for a summer holiday with these UV rays, even though some 40,000 people are diagnosed with skin cancer each year in Britain, and about 2,000 die from it. Every gym and spa has them, and high-street, high-speed tanning boutiques are still hugely popular. The Tanning Shop, for instance, opened its first branch in 1992, and now has more than 110 shops.

The carcinomas connected with the UV rays are both common forms of skin cancer, less serious than melanoma, and less likely to prove fatal, although squamous cell carcinoma can spread to other parts of the body if it is not treated, while basal cell carcinoma can cause ulcers.

Sunbeds emit radiation similar to that of midday summer sunlight - just 10 minutes under one can be as powerful as a whole day in the sun. Older types of sunbed emit mainly UVA, while more modern ones use UVB and UVA rays together. The effect in terms of skin damage is similar to that of exposing yourself to the sun. How soon your skin will burn in the sun depends on your skin type, and on how strong the sun is.

UVB rays are absorbed in the top layers of the skin, where they cause damage to the DNA, the genetic material in the nucleus of each cell. Most cells repair themselves, but they release chemicals that can contribute to skin ageing, and which cause the pain, redness and swelling that is sunburn. Some cells die and some mutate and replicate, leading to skin ageing or cancer. UVA rays, which have a longer wavelength, also cause damage within the skin, though at a deeper level.

The message about sunbeds - don't use them - ought to be obvious but so deeply ingrained is the British love of having a tan that it simply isn't getting through.

There are safer ways, of course - some people spend hours slathering on instant bronzer, but, for many, nothing beats the convenience of a sunbed. Even the swankiest health clubs, such as the new Chelsea Club in Chelsea Village, have sunbeds in their spas. The Chelsea Club has a high-speed, air-conditioned machine that plays a CD of your choice as well as blasting you with ultra-violet rays, but it is still a sunbed.

"It's very much in demand," says spa manager Caroline Proctor. "We're as careful as we can be, making sure people fill in all the forms before they use it, and don't use it when they're taking certain medication, but people love it. I use it myself. At this stage of year, you just look at yourself in the mirror and think, 'Oh dear.' People know it's bad for them, but they carry on using them anyway."

The experts are unanimous. "I would not use a sunbed or recommend that anybody uses one," says Professor John Hawk, consultant dermatologist at St Thomas' Hospital. "There is no such thing as a safe tan from sunbeds or from the sun itself," says Sara Hiom, of Cancer Research UK. "We must move away from this absurd belief that bronzed skin is healthy skin," urges Peter Lapsley, of the Skin Care Campaign.

The latest research, which was conducted in the United States at Dartmouth Medical School, New Hampshire, hammers these views home. But people simply aren't taking notice. It's a sad comment that, when it comes down to a tussle between vanity and health, vanity always wins.