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Jenny Murray with six month old son Jack

When Cancer Research UK chose Manchester to launch its 2008 SunSmart campaign highlighting the dangers of using sunbeds at a young age, it did so for good reason.

Manchester has a large number of tanning salons which are proving popular with young people. At 19 years of age, Jenny Murray was a regular visitor.

"I started going just once a week and then gradually it got more – twice, three times a week and then gradually it went back down again. But I did go on for about 4-5 months each year for a couple of years. And then I found a little mark on my chest," she said.

"They sent me to the hospital and they took one look at it and said: 'it looks like skin cancer but we need to get a biopsy done.' So they did the biopsy and the results came back that I had skin cancer."

Treatment

It was a frightening time for Jenny who was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma. After a course of Photodynamic Therapy which proved ineffective, Jenny was sent for surgery at Manchester's Christie Hospital which was thankfully successful.

As a result of her experience, Jenny is now backing Cancer Research UK's SunSmart campaign to warn other young people of the dangers of overexposure to UV from the sun and sunbeds.

UV danger: sunbeds

She says risking cancer for the sake of a tan, just isn't worth it.

"It was a very painful thing to go through and very stressful because you don’t want to hear you’ve got cancer in your early 20s," she said.

"I’d never ever go on a sunbed now and if I’m in the sun I wear a hat and wear at least factor 30 over here and I warn everyone to do the same."

Her final warning to young people: "Don’t go on sunbeds. For one, it can give you skin cancer. For two, it ages your skin. And there’s all sorts of fake tans out there that you’ve no need to go on a sunbed, they’re so cheap."

Consent

Malignant melanoma is now the most common cancer in young adults aged between 15 and 34. Caroline Cerny, SunSmart campaign manager at Cancer Research UK, said:

"A lot of people know that burning in the sun is a bad idea but surprisingly few realise that the UV rays in sunbeds can prove just as dangerous. Young skin is particularly susceptible to damage and we know from research that using sunbeds significantly increases the risk of skin cancer as well as causing premature ageing."

In a statement, The Sunbed Association (TSA) said: "All TSA members operate to a strict code of practice, part of which clearly states that use of sunbeds by under-16s is prohibited even if parental consent has been provided.

"TSA is not aware of any medical or scientific evidence to support the call for non-use by under 18s. TSA understands this has come purely from a position of choice and responsibility as 18 is the general age of consent in the UK."