The billboard that burns in real time - so your skin doesn’t have to
The British Skin Foundation unveils a clever billboard demonstrating real-time skin damage as the sun’s UV rays hit the installation, alongside new statistics on sun safety attitudes.
In this article
Brits underestimate spring sun – 38% already sunburnt
Summer has only just begun in the UK, but 38% of Brits say they have already been sunburnt during Spring weather that saw above average hours of sunshine and high temperatures. A half of respondents (49%) said they underestimated how strong the sun was in the first five months of 2025, according to a study by the British Skin Foundation.
Why are so many people getting sunburnt?
The study found several reasons behind this early surge in sunburn cases:
- 31% said they “couldn’t be bothered” to apply sunscreen
- 25% admitted to overdoing it in an effort to get a tan
- 45% spent more time outdoors than planned
- 23% didn’t want to carry sunscreen around
- 1 in 10 didn’t like the smell of sunscreen
Young people are especially vulnerable: 35% of Gen Z and 30% of Millennials reported being sunburnt already this year. Regionally, Londoners were most affected, with a staggering 62% getting sunburnt, followed by 51% in the North-East.
Introducing the Burnable Billboard
It comes as the British Skin Foundation unveils a clever billboard that shows damage being caused to human skin in real-time, as the sun’s powerful UV rays shine onto the installation. It is designed to warn passers-by of the power of the sun in Britain as we enter the summer months, and promote better use of sun protection.
Research shows that five sunburns over a lifetime more than doubles the risk of getting a melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer.*
The British Skin Foundation’s innovative installation display uses AI technology and thousands of interpolated images. An AI model, developed in collaboration with a dermatologist, has been trained to produce realistic depiction of sun damage, across three different skin tones. Starting with images of healthy, undamaged skin, and working closely with a dermatologist, accurate key frames showing each stage of sun damage were created. The AI then accurately burns the skin in real-time, based on the live UV around the billboard.
The billboard has been installed at Westfield Stratford City London, as well as smaller sites in Manchester, Birmingham & Southampton and will be displayed throughout this month.
Every year, the strength of the sun is underestimated here in the UK. The Burnable Billboard was created to demonstrate just how damaging and powerful UV rays can be. With harmful UV exposure linked to potentially life-threatening skin cancers, our campaign aims to highlight the importance of sun safety - and to encourage protective behaviours to become a part of everyday life.
Phil Brady, Chief Operating Officer
Why sun safety matters
During the spring and summer months, it's essential to pay attention to the UV levels and look after your skin accordingly. A UV index of 3 or higher indicates that you should protect your skin with clothing, hats, shade and sunscreen - especially between 11am - 3pm when the UV is highest, even in the UK. Building these healthy habits now can have lasting benefits for your skin in the future.
Dr Bav Shergill, Consultant Dermatologist & British Skin Foundation spokesperson
Reference
* Dennis, L.K., VanBeek, M.J., Beane Freeman, L.E., Smith, B.J., Dawson, D.V. and Coughlin, J.A., 2008. Sunburns
and risk of cutaneous melanoma, does age matter: A comprehensive meta-analysis. Annals of Epidemiology,
18(8), pp.614–627. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2873840/ [Accessed 4 Jun.
2025].