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Seeing the damage helps prevent dangerous UV exposure

June 25, 2001

The best way to persuade people not to risk sun tan damage is to actually show them the current state of their skins, rather than simply describing it.

This is the finding reported in a paper given by Dr Frederick Gibbons, of Iowa State University, USA, in a symposium on risk perception today, Tuesday 3 July, at the European Congress of Psychology, held at the Barbican Centre, London.

In two separate studies, with a total of more than 200 students, Dr Gibbons presented half of them with photographs of their faces taken by a camera with an ultra violet light filter. These photos graphically depict skin damage due to previous ultra violet exposure from the sun and tanning beds. The other half received information about the dangers of UV exposure but no UV photographs. On average 78 per cent of the students had visible damage, and 46 per cent severe damage.

The students who saw the photos of themselves changed their attitudes towards tanning: they reported that they felt more vulnerable to ageing, more negative towards tanning and towards people with tans, and less willingness to sunbathe and expose themselves to the sun. One month later they also reported a decline in the use of sun beds. Those who did not see the UV photos did not change their attitudes and did not reduce their tanning bed exposure at all.

Dr Gibbons said: 'Most young people know that tanning can damage their skin, but they believe the damage won't happen or be visible for quite some time, and so they don't worry about it. What the UV photographs do is make it very clear to them that damage has already occurred - the behaviour that they thought was improving their appearance is actually harming it - and that has a strong effect on what they think and what they do'.

British Psychological Society (BPS)

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