Nearly one in two Irish people say sunburn is worth it to get a tan – despite high awareness of skin cancer

Skin cancer survey reveals many will be happy to get sun burnt in order to get tan despite cancer risks

Eilish O'Regan

Nearly one in two people believe it is worth getting sunburned to get a tan despite being aware of the risks between exposure and melanoma, a skin cancer that can spread to other areas of the body, according to a new study.

The dermatology department at South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital (SIVUH) Cork recently surveyed 1,043 people aged 20 to 72 and found they had mixed awareness of ways to reduce their risk of melanoma but had high perceived concerns about developing the cancer.