The Irish Cancer Society has described as "alarming" the number of people who are continuing to ignore the dangers of sunbeds.
A survey published today has found that 6 per cent of adults, or 185,000 people, use sunbeds.
The age group most likely to use them were those between 25 and 34 - one in eight of this age group use them - while the second-highest usage was among 15 to 24 years (one in 10). A similar survey in 2003 found that 9 per cent of adults used sunbeds.
The survey also found that 10 per cent of users do so once a week or more. While a majority used sunbeds in beauty salons (68 per cent), 10 per cent of users actually had one in their own home. One in five had experienced sunburn from sunbed usage.
The Irish Cancer Society pointed out that sunbeds can emit levels of UV radiation up to five times as strong as the summer midday sun and, therefore, increase the risk of skin cancer considerably.
"The society would find it alarming that 6 per cent of people are using sunbeds, particularly because we have found their usage much higher among younger age groups," the society's health promotion manager, Elaine Glynn, said. She said it was a major health concern for the future, as skin cancer can take a number of decades to develop.
Consultant dermatologist at Beaumont Hospital, Dr Gillian Murphy, said it should be pointed out to women that they would look much better in years to come if they did not use sunbeds. She said her concern would be for people who use them repeatedly.
Dr Murphy described as "extremely worrying" the trend in using sunbeds and the frequency of usage. "A sunbed tan is induced through concentrated exposure to high levels of UV light and all forms of UV light contribute to skin cancer, as well as causing depletion in natural collagen and premature ageing of the skin, which results in loss of elasticity, sagging, wrinkling, freckling, yellowish discolouration and brown patches. Medical advice is to avoid the use of sunbeds at all times," she said.
In response to controversy over a suggestion that some parents were arranging sunbed sessions for children before occasions like First Communions or Confirmations, the survey asked when people had first used them. It was found that one in 20 users had their first session under 15 years of age and that one-third of users first used sunbeds between the ages of 16 and 18.
Ms Glynn said a voluntary agreement has been reached in recent months in Britain between Cancer Research UK and the Sunbed Association to prevent under 16s from using them.
She said a major concern was that the industry in Ireland was unregulated and the only legislation covering sunbeds was a general product safety directive. "For example, there is no certified training for staff," she said.
Ms Glynn said people also needed to realise that it was a "myth" that getting a "base tan" from a sunbed protects skin from damage by the sun.
She said that having a tan from a sunbed actually often prevented people from seeing the early signs of burning from the sun, such as the skin going red.
But because these were not obvious, it did not mean the skin was not being damaged. "Tanned skin is damaged skin, whether the tan is obtained through sunbed use or by sunbathing," she said.
She said it was also of concern that so many sunbed users - 10 per cent - had them in their own home. "The problem then is that there is no-one there to say stop."
The survey was carried out for the Irish Cancer Society by Behaviour and Attitudes Marketing Research on a national sample of 1,200 adults.