Street Theatre Warns of the Danger of Sunbed Tans

TEENAGERS are being targeted in a hard-hitting campaign to highlight the dangers of sunbed use at a young age.

Professional performers will be in Newcastle today to act out a street drama highlighting the dangers of sunbed use and challenge commonly held myths about tanning.

The campaign aims to educate people in the region, where each year more than 300 people are diagnosed with malignant melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer. Research shows that using sunbeds under the age of 35 increases the risk of skin cancer by around 75%.

Louise Burns, 31, from Consett, County Durham, was diagnosed with malignant melanoma in October 2004.

The mother-of-two, who started using sunbeds when she was 18, said: “All my friends used sunbeds so I did too. It was the fashion. We all wanted nice tanned legs so we could wear short dresses on our nights out in Newcastle.”

But since being diagnosed with malignant melanoma, Louise, who teaches history at The Hermitage School in Chester-le-Street, feels that people should be aware of the risks of using sunbeds.

She said: “The irony is that wanting tanned legs when I was younger means that now I can’t show my legs at all because they are so badly scarred from treatment for skin cancer.

“It annoys, upsets and frightens me when I see young girls talking about using sunbeds to look tanned. It’s so dangerous.”

The street theatre performance, part of Cancer Research UK’s SunSmart campaign, will feature a mock ‘TV news crew’ attending a ‘crime scene’ to report on the shocking news that a young person is willingly damaging their skin and increasing their risk of skin cancer by using a sunbed for the sake of a tan.

Performances will take place in the Monument area until 4.30pm. After each performance, actors and Cancer Research UK staff will hand out ‘Sunbed Trauma’ postcards addressing tanning myths and directing young people to a new MySpace page (www.myspace.com/ besunsmart) for more information.

(c) 2008 The Journal – Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.