Over 140,000 Essex residents apply COOKING OILS whilst sunbathing

11 Jun Over 140,000 Essex residents apply COOKING OILS whilst sunbathing

TAN CRAZY residents in East Anglia are ditching protective sun creams and using COOKING OILS in a misguided bid to tan quicker, a study by supermarket Asda has revealed.

146,000 East Anglia residents risk burns and skin cancer by smearing vegetable, olive and coconut oil on their skin before sunbathing, with women (13%) worse than men (10%) for raiding the kitchen cupboards. Shockingly, over a quarter (29%) of sun worshippers have purposely not applied sunscreen in the bid to tan quicker, even though more than four fifths (81%) have suffered sunburn.

The research also found that for a quarter (25%) getting sunburnt does not bother them and even more worryingly, over a quarter (26%) somewhat believe that a sunburn will turn in to a tan.

Attitudes to the sun seem to differ depending on whether we are abroad or in the UK. Over three quarters of residents (78%) will apply sunscreen when abroad, but for those opting for a staycation almost two thirds (61%) will not apply sunscreen. Almost a fifth (16%) don’t think the sun in the UK is strong enough to need sunscreen, with 16% also thinking it is unnecessary.

Love Island’s Dr Alex George – an NHS doctor who famously suffered bad sunburn in last year’s series warned: “We are a nation of sun-worshippers, but it’s worrying to see that so many Brits are using cooking oil to get a better tan and are unaware of the importance of UV protection – especially when buying sunscreen. Whether at home in the UK or holidaying abroad, we need to take sun protection and damage seriously. We all have a friend that burns quicker than others, risking serious skin damage and even melanoma skin cancer to achieve a tan is simply not worth it”.

Meanwhile, nearly two thirds (65%) will put on sunglasses as a form of sun protection, whilst two fifths of sun worshippers (40%) are put off buying sunscreen as they think it is expensive.