Sunbathing can give you skin cancer

A study has found that millions of people are putting themselves at risk of developing skin cancer, because they believe that a spray tan will protect them from getting sunburnt. The study found that one in six women believe that a fake tan works like a sunscreen and nearly half think their foundation make-up provides them with protection from the sun's harmful rays. It was also revealed that one in 20 people think that only those with ginger hair or fair skin need to worry about covering up. A report carried out by the screening service Moletestuk website into how 3,000 Britons protected themselves from the sun this summer found that one in five women admitted buying or worrying about sun lotion only when they were abroad on holiday, with no provisions made for when they are at home. As a result, nearly a quarter of Britons have a 'suspicious' mole they fear might be cancerous, yet half say they have not sought any medical advice. Seven per cent of Britons say they never wear sun lotion, with 12 per cent more worried about getting wrinkles than damaging their skin, and six per cent say they are more concerned with not getting tan lines and marks from sunglasses. "We commissioned this survey to see what the awareness of melanoma in the UK is, and it's concerning that many people don't think this can affect them," the Daily Express quoted Bruce Murray, managing director of Moletestuk website, as saying. "It's important people take the risk of sunbathing seriously and are aware that moles and melanoma can develop at any time," he stated.