How you can get a top tan without risk; Style&Beauty

0 Comments | Liverpool Echo (Liverpool, England), April 23, 2008

Byline: Susan Lee

THE glossy magazines tell us to look pale and interesting but the truth is brown and beautiful seems to work best.

Little wonder then that teens and 20-somethings are spending so much time in the tanning salon.

Even TV presenter and actress Denise Van Outen has admitted that her teenage sunbed addiction left her with pigmentation scars on her face.

Now, with Sun Awareness Week on the horizon, there is more focus than ever on sun-beds and the risks they present.

According to a survey commissioned by Cancer Research UK, 80%of sunbed users have massively increased their risk of a life-threatening form of skin cancer, by using a sunbed before the age of 35.

Here in Liverpool the statistics are stark.

Explains consultant dermatologist Dr Richard Azurdia: "The number of malignant melanoma cases dealt with at the Royal Liverpool and Broad green Hospitals has more than doubled in the past five years, from 50 to 110 last year.

"I think this is due to a number of factors, including childhood sunburn, excessive sunbathing and the increased number of young people using sun-beds excessively."

Meanwhile Dr Paula Grey, joint director of public health for Liverpool Primary Care Trust, says young people associate a tan with looking healthier and slimmer.

"It it is extremely worrying that they are achieving this look through sunbed usage. We are working to raise awareness about the dangers and would urge people to stay away from sun-beds."

But could an appetite for copying the celebs be responsible for teenagers risking it all for a WAG style glow?

If it is, they are looking in the wrong direction.

Many celebs won't run the risk of cancer and opt to fake it instead.

Sienna Miller, Jemima Khan, Sarah Harding and Myleen Klass all fake their A-list golden glow and even Victoria Beckham opts for a St Tropez tan.

Here's a selection of some of the best products to help you achieve that sun-kissed look - no matter how old you are.

Fake Bake Original Tanning Lotion, pounds 24.95.

Stockists 0870 054 4455 or log on to www.fakebake.co.uk

Natural Tan Leg Bronzer by Pretty Polly, pounds 7.

Quick, easy-to-use and no streaks. Plus it washes off.

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Natural Bronzer body lotion, pounds 4.99. Perfect for that sun-kissed look.

Dove Summer GlowBody Lotion, pounds 6.99. Great results, no funny smell.

However, Dr Des Fernandes, an expert at the International Institute of Anti-Ageing, advises us not to become 'sun phobic'.

He argues that natural rays - as opposed to those from sun-beds - give us a boost.

He says: "Natural sunshine can be good for the health. Recommended exposure for Vitamin D synthesis is approximately 15 minutes daily in sunlight," he says.

"The secret is to choose your sunscreen carefully - ideally one which contains a combination of anti-oxidant vitamins (C, E and beta-carotene)."

Sun Awareness Week takes place from May 5 to May 11. For more information visit www.bad.org.uk/ public/cancer/sun-awareness-week-and-leaflets.asp

CAPTION(S):

SCARRED: Denise Van Outen suffered skin damage after using sun-beds as a teen