Brianna* first discovered solariums aged 17.
Now 21, and a registered nurse on the palliative care ward of a major Sydney hospital, she's been using sunbeds regularly for four years, with no plans to stop.
"I tell people I'm an addict as a joke... Using it just gives me so much confidence and I don't see it as being any different from going out in the sun or doing other things that are bad for you like recreational drugs or eating unhealthy foods,” Brianna says.
“I think of it as a small part of the day that is all about my self-care.
"Just recently I actually left a date to go and get my solarium session in because I was having such a great time but I still didn't want to miss my solarium appointment... In the past I've even prioritised it over things like medical appointments, social commitments, I've turned down shifts at work just to make sure I had the time to go. Some of my friends say I'm crazy, but I just think if it makes me happy why not?”
While Brianna says getting a solarium tan makes her happy, using a sunbed is far from safe.
Research shows that just one indoor tanning session before the age of 35 increases a person’s risk of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, by up to 75 per cent, with the risk increasing with each use.
If you use a sunbed when under the age of 30, your risk is an additional six times higher. But the chance of skin cancer developing in solarium users is more than twice that of non-users, regardless of their age.
Each year, as many as 280 new melanomas, over 40 melanoma-related deaths, and some 2,500 new skin cancers are caused by solarium use in Australia, the Cancer Council of NSW says.
The commercial use of sunbeds was banned across Australia from 1 January, 2015, with the exception of Western Australia, which followed a year later.
Despite the ban, NSW has seen an amount of illegal solarium operators crop up across the state.
Illegal solariums pop up on social media, and sunbed users say they are now a lot easier to find than when they were first banned.
The neurological activity of sunbed addicts shows startling similarities to that of people with drug and alcohol dependencies, with biochemical evidence from a 2006 study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology suggesting that sunbed addicts are addicted to an opioid release experienced during tanning.
The same study highlighted that people with tanning addictions could be prone to suffering the same severe withdrawal symptoms as other addicts - nausea, dizziness, mood swings, and the shakes.
Research from Georgetown University Medical Center in 2017 highlighted that 20 per cent of women who tan using sunbeds show signs of a dependency, with those who were labelled as having an addiction strongly believing in the physical and mood-boosting benefits they experienced after a tanning session.
Perhaps this explains why Brianna says that despite the serious risks associated with solarium use, she has no intention of stopping.
"Since I started using a sunbed...I look glowy, but it's also more than that... I feel better about myself and my body when I do it, " Brianna said.
The commercial use of sunbeds is banned in Australia. Credit: RyersonClark/Getty Images
"During the Covid lockdowns, my biggest fear was that they would close down and when they did I noticed it took a toll on my mental health. I didn't have an outlet that was just for me anymore, which is a hard thing for anyone to cope with.”
She says she has lost track of how much money she has invested in her potentially life-threatening golden glow.
"It costs me $30 for 15 minutes or $45 for half an hour. There are three or four different types of sunbeds, and you select one based on preference... And then you buy the products too ('tan accelerators' applied as a cream) which are about $30 per bottle and they accelerate the results," she told The Feed.
How dangerous are sunbeds?
Sunbeds operate by emitting ultraviolet (UV) rays that deeply penetrate the skin. Five minutes in a sunbed can be equal to one hour in the sun.
Health experts are urging sunbed users to consider using temporary self-tanning products instead, emphasising that the dangers of sunbeds far outweigh their benefits.
Professor Anne Cust from the Melanoma Institute Australia told The Feed there were great risks associated with sunbed use.
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“The UV radiation that people are getting will increase the likelihood that they’ll have to have things chopped out - be it melanoma or other types of skin cancer. It also causes aging, " Professor Cust said.
“In the long run, the risks of later disease and problems are not worth it.”
Despite the dangers, it’s clear people are still using illegal underground solariums. And they aren’t that hard to find.
When sunbeds were made illegal for commercial use, the NSW government offered solarium owners in the state a $1000 cash back to turn in their beds for safe disposal. But some didn't take up the offier, and instead tried their hand at selling the beds – which at the time could be bought for almost $30,000.
Today, a search of online marketplace platforms shows Australian sellers listing sunbeds for between $3000 and $5000, with some models setting potential buyers back up to $12,000.
The UV radiation that people are getting will increase the likelihood that they’ll have to have things chopped out - be it melanoma or other types of skin cancer. It also causes aging.Professor Anne Cust
Some people chasing a solarium tan but without access to a sunbed, have turned to illegal underground solariums. A number of rogue sunbed owners operate covertly out of homes, backyards, and garages across Sydney.
The Feed identified several social media accounts linked to different operators across the Sydney metropolitan area. Some of the accounts had more than 2000 followers.
When The Feed reached out to a rogue operator for comment, our social media profile was blocked.
In 2021, at least four underground solariums were investigated by the NSW Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) for illegally operating from residential properties in Sydney.
The EPA told The Feed it was urging people to help stamp out illegal solariums by reporting any operators advertising the service.
An EPA spokesperson said that despite the ban significantly reducing the accessibility of sunbeds to the public, they still receive an average of 15 tips offs about illegal operators each year.
“UV sun beds were banned as they carry significant health risks such as early-onset melanoma… Some rogue operators still try to sell tanning bed sessions, often using social media to hide their activity from authorities, ” the spokesperson said.
Is this a gendered issue?
It's not just women falling prey to the allure of rogue solariums.
Ben* labels himself a "recovered" solarium addict but has been hopping into sunbeds weekly since 2008.
Now 32, the former professional athlete works as a personal trainer running a successful inner-city Sydney gym and tells The Feed that in all other ways, he subscribes to a "very health-conscious and centric" lifestyle. But, like Brianna, he won't be giving up the sunbed any time soon.
"I definitely used to be a bit of an addict, “ Ben says.
“I would go daily given the opportunity... I even used to joke that I was their favourite customer because there were times when I spent so much money on getting my daily dose that I was spending more on sunbeds than food," Ben says.
“Looking back, I was probably more obsessed with my tan at times in my life when I had other things going on, or was under a bit of pressure or feeling insecure. Now, I limit myself to once or twice a week unless I have a big event coming up because I still love it.
"I don't really even notice the change of skin colour anymore, that's not my focus, but people always comment that I look healthier and have a glow after a session. Back in the days, it was a little bit about competing with my friends when we were going out to clubs and things, it's a myth that men don't feel pressure to look good, too.
"I think it's scary when you hear the statistics but I put it into perspective - I don't smoke, I barely drink, I regularly visit the gym and I take care of my health via a mindful lifestyle which includes homeopathic measures, frequent yoga and meditation, and a vegan diet with nutrient-rich foods.
I definitely used to be a bit of an addictBen*
“So for half an hour a week, a sunbed is my little guilty pleasure and I really don't think it's as bad as sitting out in the sun for hours or doing other drastic things.”
He says he turned to sunbeds after trialling inexpensive self-tanning products but became increasingly frustrated with the results.
Ben says he first found an underground solarium when he was introduced to a local operator through a friend, but has since taken to social media to locate better deals.
"You literally just hit them up on socials, DM them and tell them you want to buy a pack of sessions. They'll usually see I'm a gym owner and offer me a discounted price if I refer people... Usually all you need is to have a few mutual followers or something so there is a sense of trust.
"Inner Sydney, there are a fair few to pick from and even more if you're willing to travel 20 minutes or so. If one doesn't have availability there are two or three others I'm in cahoots with so I just message them. I've never had any kind of issue getting a booking.”
Ben told The Feed that a standard solarium session via his usual operator sets him back approximately $35.
He told The Feed the illegal operators have also given him melatonin boosters - an illegal medication injected to accelerate a tan - which has potentially damaging health side-effects.
"That proved more economical because it made my tan deeper with fewer sessions, but it also lasted longer. Not all of them have the melatonin shots but most do.
"...my appearance is pretty integral to my job and getting clients ... But also, just how I feel about myself," Ben says.
Some experts suggest that some sunbed users are misinformed and misguided by the belief that limiting time in a solarium bed also minimises the risk of harm.
Professor Cust told The Feed she is concerned that the unlawful operators are ignoring the "serious nature" of solarium use, and are driven by making money.
"It's not right, they would be better off selling some kind of fake tanning products or getting into another business. People may think this is a controlled way to get a tan but I would say, it's not safe or healthy to intentionally be tanning."
A harrowing reminder
Tamra Betts’ daughter Emma died in 2017 after she was diagnosed with Stage 4 melanoma, aged 22.
She described melanoma as an 'insidious disease' and explained that said she hoped her daughter's terminal diagnosis will be a lesson to those thinking of using risky tactics in order to get a tan.
"Given that you have a choice whether you're going to use the solarium, the best possible choice that you can make is not to do that, you are putting yourself at great risk of ending up with skin cancer or melanoma which is not as easy as just cutting something out, " she said.
"It can be a terminal diagnosis, as it was for Emma.
"I just can't fathom why the operators of these solariums are totally ignoring the dangers. They're preying on the vulnerable, those with body-image issues and perception of what an attractive body is, " she says.
"Emma wasn't a sun worshipper, she didn't use a sunbed... Sometimes you'd love to just go up there and tap them (sunbed users) on the shoulder and relay her story, tell them what you've been through as a parent. But I suppose if you did that they'd probably just laugh at you because a lot of people, especially a lot of young people, believe they're invincible.
"To the young person about to use a sunbed, I'd have to say you're playing with death because you are actually putting yourself into a situation that will more than likely see the end of your life...
"And to the mother of that person, I would say please discourage your child to do it, and take the time to look at these statistics that are out there. Losing a child is the worst thing that can happen to you, going through seeing that child deteriorate, you really, really don't want to do that," Ms Betts says.
But despite Ms Betts’ pleas, Ben says he will continue to use a sunbed, regardless of how distressing the risks may be.
...a lot of people, especially a lot of young people, believe they're invincibleTamra Betts
"It's my ‘me time’. They're obviously dangerous and when you think of the cancer statistics I would be lying if I said it didn't scare me a bit., “ Ben says.
"But they say that they cause cancer, but so do some of the foods we eat, and other things we happily expose ourselves to every day, so it is a personal choice like anything else.
Brianna agreed, saying that despite the terrifying warning, she will continue to use sunbeds.
"Sometimes when people warn you and tell you the high likelihood of cancer or other dangerous diseases you do get rattled, I am a palliative care nurse so I know how bleak the end can look for some, but I also think that scaring us is the intention.
"To be honest, I am still thinking of buying my own solarium because I use them that much... I'm too addicted to give it up and I don't want to," she said with a laugh.
* Names changed to protect identity
