There is “no question” that banning sunbeds would reduce the number of people using them and getting skin cancer, a dermatologist has argued. 

The Department of Health has announced it is engaging with the European Commission ahead of a proposed ban on sunbeds. 

The World Health Organisation estimates that around 40% of countries have banned or severely restricted the devices, which significantly increase users’ risk of skin cancer. 

On The Claire Byrne Show, Professor Caitriona Ryan said many young people are ignorant of the huge damage they are doing to their health when they use sunbeds. 

“When it comes to sunbed use, unfortunately, it's younger people a lot of the time in their late teens and their 20s, when people don't make the same type of responsible decisions,” she said. 

“There is absolutely, categorically, no question, sunbeds cause skin cancer, particularly the melanoma type. 

“We've lots of studies, it's not just the WHO saying this, they're saying it based on a huge amount of data. 

“So, having gone on a sunbed once increases your risk of melanoma by 60%.”

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in Ireland and the number of people being diagnosed with skin cancer is rising rapidly. Yet skin cancer is largely preventable by protecting skin from UV rays and not using sunbeds.

For more information about how to protect your… pic.twitter.com/9wSn0cpZpz

— HSE Ireland (@HSELive) September 27, 2025

Every year in Ireland, roughly 11,000 people are diagnosed with skin cancer, making it the most common and fastest growing cancer in Ireland. 

The figures are why Taoiseach Micheál Martin described a ban on sunbeds as a “no brainer”

“If we can take out these sunbeds, so it doesn't continue to become a cultural thing, then it will make a huge difference to our country,” Professor Ryan continued.  

“If there's a way we can ban sunbeds completely, that will be the solution for us. 

“But these are young people who are vulnerable, who are chasing the golden tan. 

“As far as I'm concerned, the only safe tan is a fake tan.”

Professor Ryan added that prevention is better than cure, as the young people who come to her with skin cancer “can't take back that damage”. 

“I think we all feel like they need to be banned,” she said. 

“It really does change the the culture of the way a person regards a tan if they're not available.

“It's been done in other countries and it makes you know, it does make a difference. There's no question.”

'Education rather than elimination'

Also on the programme, Sunbed Council of Ireland spokesperson Emma Rodahan argued that any ban would not end sunbed use, it would simply push the practice “underground”. 

“As a lobbying group,  we're looking at it  from a business point of view, we're looking at it from a health point of view,” she said. 

“We're not against safety or education; we're asking for regulation and education rather than elimination.”

Instead of banning sunbeds, Ms Rodahan argued for better education, so that users are aware that using them means they are more likely to contract cancer. 

“People are aware of the dangers of cigarettes, people are aware of the dangers of sunbeds, of natural UV sunlight,” she said. 

“People are aware going on holiday [that] getting burnt in the sun, the damage it does to your skin.

“Educating the people correctly is what the Sunbed Council is mainly for, we're pushing for education.”

Main image: A sunbed. Picture by: Alamy.com.