People who use sunbeds are not only at an increased risk of developing the most deadly type of skin cancer, they also tend to develop the disease at a younger age compared to non-users, a new study has found.

Melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer and around 900 new cases are diagnosed in Ireland every year.

Sunbeds are known to increase the risk of all types of skin cancer, including melanoma, however many people still use them. In Ireland, it is illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to use a sunbed.

This latest study by Norwegian and Australian researchers looked at 141,000 women over an average of 14 years. It found that those who had taken part in 30 or more indoor tanning sessions had a 32% increased risk of developing melanoma compared to those who had never taken part.

However, it also found that women who were under the age of 30 when they first began using sunbeds were diagnosed with melanoma an average of two years younger than non-users.

These results stood irrespective of factors such as age, skin colour, hair colour and previous sunburn.

According to the researchers, these findings are important because they show that the use of sunbeds increases the burden of melanoma in societies by increasing the number of people developing the disease and reducing the age at which they are diagnosed.

Details of these findings are published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.