Survivor links teenage sunbed use to melanoma as underage tanning persists

Emma Gannuzzi, who was diagnosed with melanoma at 23 after using sunbeds as a teenager, has urged action to stop underage tanning as new data suggest children are still gaining access to commercial solariums despite a legal ban.

Gannuzzi, now 36 and a mother of two, said she first used sunbeds from the age of 16 and believes that exposure to artificial ultraviolet (UV) radiation in her youth caused the deadliest form of skin cancer. Medical specialists and a UK charity warned that early-life exposure to artificial UV significantly raises melanoma risk, and Freedom of Information requests submitted by a specialist skin clinic indicate more than 200 cases of underage sunbed use reported to local authorities, including users as young as 10.

Gannuzzi described the diagnosis as "devastating" and said she initially blamed herself. Her first melanoma, removed from her stomach when she was 23, was stage 1A and had not spread to lymph nodes or organs. A second melanoma was found and removed six years later while she was pregnant. She now undergoes lifelong monitoring for changes in moles and said the experience left her fearing that any new mark could be life-threatening.

The Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010 prohibits commercial sunbed use by anyone under 18, and the law has been in force in England and Wales since 2011. Nonetheless several local authorities told The Devonshire Clinic — which submitted the FOI requests — that they had recorded incidents of much younger children using salons. The FOI responses include reports of a 10-year-old in Hertfordshire, 11-year-olds in Leicestershire and Kent, and 12-year-olds in Bradford and Greater London.

Charities and clinicians said enforcement has been patchy. Melanoma Focus said more than a third of 16- and 17-year-olds admitted to at least one sunbed session a year in its survey, and 23 percent said they used sunbeds monthly. The charity also reported that in the five local authority areas with the highest number of underage reports, only 20 percent of salons had been issued fines.

Health specialists reiterated that artificial UV radiation is a known carcinogen. The World Health Organization classified artificial UV radiation as a Group 1 carcinogen in 2009, placing it in the same category as asbestos and tobacco smoke. Melanoma Focus highlighted research showing that experiencing five or more severe sunburns between ages 15 and 20 increases melanoma risk by about 80 percent.

Dr. Conal Perrett, consultant dermatologist at The Devonshire Clinic, said the dangers of sunbeds are often underestimated, particularly among young people. He cited cases of severe burns, lasting skin damage, premature ageing and increased skin cancer risk linked to solarium use and called for better enforcement, public education and a change in attitudes around tanning.

Susanna Daniels, chief executive of Melanoma Focus, warned that online influencers and social media trends are promoting sunbed use as a form of wellness, relaxation or a quick vitamin D boost, potentially encouraging young people to treat solariums as safe. "Influencers and online trends encouraging the use of sunbeds, often targeted at young people, completely ignore the fact they are a significant risk factor for developing melanoma," she said.

Public-health experts also noted demographic patterns in self-reported tanning. In the Melanoma Focus survey, men and boys were twice as likely as women and girls to report sunbed use — 40 percent versus 19 percent. Commentators pointed to the presence of solariums in some gyms and the pursuit among some young men of a more tanned appearance to accentuate muscle definition as possible drivers.

Professor Catherine Harwood, consultant dermatologist and trustee of Melanoma Focus, said using sunbeds at any age can cause DNA damage in skin cells and significantly increase the likelihood of developing skin cancer later in life, with childhood exposure particularly hazardous.

Gannuzzi said she wants to warn young people and parents about risks, describing her regret at having pursued a tan when she was a teenager. She recalled visiting salons in Newport up to three times a week in the month before summer holidays between ages 16 and 20 to establish a "base tan" and that she frequently burned on her stomach — the area where both her melanomas later developed.

She said public messaging must counter the online glamorisation of tanning and that enforcement of existing laws should be strengthened to prevent commercial salons from admitting under-18s. "If sharing my story prevents young people from being convinced by a social media reel that they are safe, I'll be happy," Gannuzzi said.

Her account underscores calls from clinicians and charities for better regulation and public education. Melanoma claims around 2,600 lives a year in the UK, and medical specialists say early-life protection from UV radiation remains a key prevention measure. Authorities and clinics said they will continue to monitor and report breaches of the law, while urging parents, schools and health services to communicate the risks of artificial tanning to young people.