Sunbed addiction: how to stop using sunbeds

For a lot of people, a sunbed session is about more than colour. It’s a few minutes of warmth and quiet, a lift in mood and the feeling of looking healthier and more confident. That’s what makes it hard to give up, even when you know the risks.

Some people find they need to tan more and more often, feel anxious or unattractive when their colour fades, and keep going despite worrying about their skin. You might have heard this called tanorexia. Whatever you call it, it’s a habit you can change, and every session you skip is less UV for your skin to deal with.

Sunbeds are not a safer way to tan. Too much UV radiation is the main cause of skin cancer in the UK, and up to 9 in 10 cases of melanoma skin cancer in the UK could be prevented by staying safe in the sun and avoiding sunbeds (Cancer Research UK, 2023).

Signs of sunbed addiction

You book sessions more often than you planned, or want a top-up as soon as your colour fades
You feel anxious, washed out or unattractive when you can’t tan
You keep going despite burning, or despite worries about moles or your skin
You spend more on tanning than you can comfortably afford
You play down how often you go when people close to you ask
You’ve tried fake tan but it never feels like enough

Why it’s hard to stop

Lying under warm light can lift your mood and help you relax, and for many people a sunbed is their main way to unwind. The warmth, the routine and the time alone all become part of the habit, so stopping means losing more than a tan.

Then there’s how you look. A tan can feel like armour, a way of feeling confident in your own body. When your sense of looking good depends on being tanned, a fading tan brings anxiety, and the quickest fix is another session. Each time that works, the habit gets a little stronger.

How hypnotherapy can help you stop using sunbeds

In sessions we work on both sides of the habit. One is the routine and the relaxation it gives you, so you have other ways to get that warmth and time out. The other is how you feel about your appearance without a tan, so that paler skin stops feeling like a problem to fix. The approach is a lot like the one I use for stopping smoking: we work on the trigger, the reward and what takes its place.

You’ll still be the one who walks past the salon, and hypnotherapy can’t undo sun damage that’s already there. How much it helps varies from person to person, but it can make the choice to stop, or to switch to fake tan, feel easier to keep.

How to stop using sunbeds: things you can try today

Switch to fake tan or a spray tan. Cancer Research UK says these are the safer way to look tanned.
Cancel any sessions you’ve booked and stop any packages you can, so there’s nothing waiting for you.
Notice what you’re after when you want a session. If it’s warmth and calm, try a hot bath or a long warm shower with your phone in another room.
Check your skin once a month and get to know your moles, so you can spot anything new or changing.
Put the money aside. Choose something you’ll look forward to and spend what you save on that instead.
Tell a friend you’re stopping, so it’s harder to slip back without saying anything.

Sunbeds, your skin and when to see your GP

Under-18s are not allowed to use sunbeds in commercial premises in the UK. In England and Wales it’s an offence under the Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010 to let anyone aged 17 or under use one, and similar restrictions apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland. The UK Health Security Agency also advises that if you burn easily in the sun or have had skin cancer, you shouldn’t use a sunbed at all (UKHSA, 2026).

See your GP if you have a mole that’s changed size, shape or colour, a mole that’s painful, itchy, inflamed, bleeding or crusty, or a new or unusual mark on your skin that hasn’t gone away after a few weeks (NHS, 2026). Hypnotherapy is never a substitute for getting your skin checked.

If worry about how you look is taking over more of your life, my page on cosmetic surgery and procedures may help, and it explains when it’s worth talking to your GP about body image.

Common questions

Are sunbeds safer than the sun?

No. Cancer Research UK says using a sunbed isn’t safer than sunbathing, and that there’s no such thing as safe UV tanning. Fake tan or a spray tan is the safer way to look tanned.

Can you be addicted to sunbeds?

Sunbed addiction isn’t a formal diagnosis, but some people do find it very hard to stop. They tan more often than they plan to, feel anxious without a tan and carry on despite the risks. The check on this page can help you see where you sit.

Do I need a sunbed for vitamin D?

No. Cancer Research UK says sunbeds aren’t a recommended way of making vitamin D, and that any vitamin D you might get from them is outweighed by the harms. If you’re worried about your vitamin D levels, ask your GP or a pharmacist.

How many sessions will I need?

It depends on how long you’ve been tanning and what it gives you. If tanning is mostly a routine, one 90 minute session may be all you want. If it’s tied up with how you feel about your appearance, three sessions leave room for both. We can talk about which suits you on a consultation call.

How do sessions work?

We meet one to one over Zoom, so you can join from home. We plan each session around your own tanning routine and what it does for you, and you get a recording of the hypnosis to listen to afterwards.