Pre-tanning before your beach holiday won't prevent sunburn, research suggests

Ultraviolet B (UVB) rays are the form of UV radiation that is most responsible for sunburn - Roman Ruzicka 2014
Ultraviolet B (UVB) rays are the form of UV radiation that is most responsible for sunburn - Roman Ruzicka 2014

Nearly half of Britons (46 per cent) who travelled abroad were reported to have been sunburnt, while more than one in three (35 per cent) were sunburnt in the UK last year, according to a survey conducted by the British Association of Dermatologists to mark Sun Awareness Week this month. 

Many of these holidaymakers might have tanned themselves before heading to their beach destinations, with the aim of helping to prevent sunburn, but doing so can actually have the opposite effect, research suggests.

Those who hit indoor tanning beds to develop a base tan before sun exposure outdoors are more likely to get sunburnt than those who don't, according to a study published in the journal Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine, Women’s Health reports.

Sunbathers - Credit: AP
Base tans will only give sunbathers a false sense of security about their level of sun protection Credit: AP

Among the 163 university students surveyed for the study, those who had pre-tanned before their sunny holiday breaks - 12 per cent of who said they went to a tanning salon purposely to “prep” their skin for sun exposure - were more likely to return home with sunburn.

“Many people think that a base tan will protect them from both sunburns and skin cancer,” the study’s co-author John Lowe, MPH, PhD, head of the School of Health and Sports Sciences at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia.

A man getting inside a sunbed - Credit: AP
Sunbeds emit mostly UVA rays, but UVB rays can make up anywhere from 0.5-4 per cent of their total output Credit: AP

While the colour change brought on by a base tan indicates your skin has produced some melanin (the pigment that gives colour to your skin, hair and eyes), which can help filter some sun rays, it would only offer an SPF (sun protection factor) of four, and would not protect your skin from the carcinogenic effects of the sun or premature ageing, according to Dr Lowe.

“A sunbed tan will not provide much protection from the sun on holiday. At most, a sunbed tan is the equivalent to a sunscreen with SPF of just two to four. Not enough to keep you safe in the sun,” Cancer Research UK also states.

Ultraviolet B (UVB) rays are the form of UV radiation that is most responsible for sunburn and UVB rays can make up anywhere from 0.5 - 4 per cent of the total UV radiation output of modern sunbeds, the organisation states. "These emissions can be comparable to the midday sun. And the amount of UVA given off can be 10-15 times higher than the midday sun.”

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"Burning or going red under a sunbed is a sign that you have seriously harmed your skin. UV can penetrate deep into the skin's layers and damage the DNA in our skin cells. Some of the damage may happen before you get burnt or your skin goes red. Cells damaged by UV are at greater risk of mutating and then dividing uncontrollably, which is what happens in cancer," it warns.

Furthermore, base tans can give sunbathers a false sense of security about their level of sun protection and encourage them to allow themselves more time in the sun, while slacking off on reapplying sunscreen, which can lead to more harmful exposure to the sun, the study’s authors note.

“A sunscreen with a high SPF will help block UVB rays and prevent the skin from burning, and by extension damage that can cause skin cancer,” the British Association of Dermatologists advises.