Sandi's sunbed warning

Singer Sandi Thom has been artificially aged 30 years to warn youngsters of the dangers of sunbeds - find out more

Cancer Research UK have published 'shocking' results of how singer Sandi Thom could look through overexposure to UV rays.

One image shows Thom as she could look at 57 with severe skin damage, which could be caused by overexposure to UV from sunbed use or regular sunbathing.

The normally fresh-faced 27-year-old is depicted with deep-set wrinkles, sagging skin, drooping eyelids, large bags around her eye area and skin discolouration, which are associated with the skin losing its suppleness and elasticity.

'Terrifying' images

Thom said: "I'm in a state of shock and the thought of looking like this at 57 is terrifying.

"Having seen these images I can honestly say I am never going to use a sunbed again.

"You can so easily get brown from a bottle these days, there is just no point in ruining your looks and risking skin cancer by using sunbeds."

In contrast, another image shows how the singer and songwriter could look aged 57 with natural age progression, with 70% fewer wrinkles and far less sagging skin.

Thom was previously a regular sunbed user and would visit her local tanning salon up to three times a week while at university in Liverpool.

The age-modification technology used to make the images involved taking a recent picture of Thom and taking into account the singer's lifestyle, images of her parents and her typical UV exposure.

Cancer Research UK commissioned the images for SunSmart - a UK-wide skin cancer prevention campaign, which this year is encouraging young people to think twice before they next get on a sunbed.

Using a sunbed before the age of 35 is said to increase the risk of skin cancer by up to 75%.

For more information on SunSmart, click on the link below