Tanning in the morning hours has been found to be safer
It's safer to tan in the morning, according to new research.
The level of protein which repairs DNA damage made by cancer-causing UV rays is highest at this time.
So sunbathing in the afternoon raises the rsik of developing skin cancer five-fold.
In tests, mice developed five times more skin cancer tumours when exposed to UV rays in the morning, compared to those given identical doses in the afternoon.
The US researches believe the opposite would be true for humans because mice are nocturnal and their body clock is reversed.
"Our research would suggest that restricting sunbathing or visits to the tanning booth to morning hours would reduce the risk of skin cancer in humans," says study leader Professer Aziz Sancer, from the University of North Carolina in the US.
But he added further research is needed before any 'definitive recommendations' could be made.
Damage to DNA by UV rays is the main cause of skin cancer. Each year more than 11,700 new cases of malignant melanoma, the most serious form of the disease, are diagnosed in the UK, leading to around 2,000 deaths.
Findings of the study were published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Tagged in Health Skin Cancer