Soaring skin cancer cases hit a record high in 2023

Melanoma skin cancer cases in the UK have reached an all-time high.

Our latest analysis shows there are 17,500 cases being diagnosed per year and projections reveal that these high numbers could continue to increase by around 50% over the next 20 years.

What’s causing these increases?
Temperatures are still set to rise this summer and the UK public is keen to make the most of the good weather. But this comes with risks. It’s well proven that sun exposure is linked to skin cancer. And it’s believed that this is causing the rapid rise of cases.

Even one sunbed session can increase your risk of developing squamous cell skin cancer by 67% and basal cell skin cancer by 29%. Even more importantly is the increased risk of melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer. If you have ever used a sunbed your risk of melanoma increases by 20%.

Almost 9 out of 10 skin cancer cases in the UK are caused by overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun and sunbeds. It damages the DNA in our skin cells which can build up over time and lead to skin cancer.

Sunbathing has been popular since the 1970s, before people became more aware of skin cancer, and now we’re seeing the consequences of the tanning trend. In people aged 55 and older the probability of getting skin cancer has almost tripled since the 1990s.  

But the sun may not be the only factor leading to these high numbers. Older age is one of the main risk factors for cancer, and as the UK’s population grows, we’re also living longer.  

But there is some good news too. More people are noticing their skin changes and getting them checked by their GP.

And despite the record increase, death rates from skin cancer have started to decline. Now more people than ever are surviving skin cancer thanks to the incredible research and improvements in early diagnosis and treatments.

Our new analysis paints a mixed picture for cancer patients and the staff who care for them. While it’s promising that more people are seeking treatment for skin cancer earlier and survival is improving, it’s alarming that cases of the disease could soar over the coming years.

5 vital facts about sunbeds and skin cancer

Here are five essential facts about skin cancer and sunbeds that you should be aware of before deciding whether to use one.

1. Using sunbeds for the first time before the age of 35 increases your risk of melanoma by 60%
Sun beds are just as dangerous for young people as they are for older people, even though the damage to the skin is less visible. Each time you use a sun bed you’re damaging your skin, but the evidence suggests that it’s particularly risky if you’re under 35. If you start using sunbeds when you’re younger than 35, you’re increasing your risk of melanoma by 60%. Melanoma is the most dangerous and aggressive type of skin cancer1.

It can be treated with surgery (which leaves a scar) but it can be fatal.

2. The radiation from sunbeds is equivalent to ‘extreme’ tropical sun
The maximum legal radiation from sunbeds is not allowed to exceed 11 standard erythema doses per hour (erythema is the reddening of the skin caused by sunburn). This is not a safe level of UV radiation2 – it is equivalent to the strength of the sun at the tropics, near the equator.

The World Health Organisation describes this level of UV radiation as ‘extreme’ – it’s the strength of sun that would make you run for the shade if you were really out in it.

3. The visible signs of UV-related skin damage can take 20 years to appear
We’re conditioned to see a tan as a sign of health, and we have become used to seeing magazines full of tanned, attractive people. But the reality is that a tan is actually a sign of damage – it’s something your body produces to try and protect the skin from further harm.

However, you can’t always see the other damage that UV radiation does to your skin straight away. In time, sun-damaged skin starts to look coarse, leathery and wrinkled – but it can take 20 years for the damage to appear1.

4. Malignant melanoma is the most common form of cancer among women in their 20s
The harmful effects of tanning don’t always wait until later in life to appear, however. Malignant melanoma has recently overtaken cervical cancer to become the most commonly diagnosed form of cancer among women in their 20s3.

Melanoma is also one of the deadliest cancers for young people - it’s one of the main killers of 15-34-year-olds in the UK. Sunbed use is a large contributing factor to this alarming trend3.

5. You make enough vitamin D by going about your daily life
There is a common misconception that using sunbeds is a good way to get the recommended level of vitamin D. Vitamin D is something your body creates when it is exposed to UV radiation. But any sunlight will do – and most people produce plenty of vitamin D simply by going about their daily lives.

People with naturally brown or black skin, people over the age of 65, pregnant and breastfeeding women and people who are housebound are more likely to have a vitamin D deficiency. It’s recommended that people with a vitamin D deficiency should take a 10 microgram supplement each day4.