Is Indoor Tanning Safe?

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Tuesday, 01 June 2010 17:14

True. The rays you get in tanning salons are just as effective (and damaging) as sunbathing on the beach for causing sunburn, skin cancer and premature aging of the skin. Here are some sobering statistics assembled by the Skin Cancer Foundation:Related Weil Products %%RELATED_DOC%% %%title%% - %%summary%% On an average day, more than one million people in the United States use tanning salons. Of these, 71 percent are girls and women aged 16-29. In this age group, melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer, is the second most common form of cancer, and women under the age of 39 are twice as likely to develop it as men.The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an arm of the World Health Organization (WHO), has added tanning beds to its "Group One" list of dangerous carcinogens for humans. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, this designation was based on "consistent evidence linking UV radiation from indoor tanning devices to all major forms of skin cancer, including melanomas of both the skin and eyes."Results of a study published May 2010 in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention showed that among 1,167 cases of melanoma and 1,101 healthy individuals those who tanned indoors had a 74 percent increased risk of melanoma. If the radiation emitted was primarily ultraviolet A (UVA), the risk was 4.4 times normal.An analysis of 19 studies that was published in the June 1, 2007, issue of the International Journal of Cancer concluded that the risk of melanoma rises by 75 percent when use of tanning devices starts before 30 years of age.In addition to the increased melanoma risk, people who use tanning beds are at higher risk of other types of skin cancer; they're 2.5 times more likely to develop squamous cell carcinoma and 1.5 times more likely to develop basal cell carcinoma. ;Presented with all this and other evidence, on March 25, 2010, an advisory committee to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration concluded that tanning beds should be more tightly regulated and suggested that the FDA consider banning their use by persons under age 18. The FDA doesn't have to act on this advice.advertisementIn another development, a study published in the April 2010 Archives of Dermatology found that some individuals who patronize indoor tanning salons meet the criteria for addiction and may be more prone to anxiety than normal. This has to be confirmed by further studies.I'm all for spending some time in the sun - but your exposure should be linked to your need for vitamin D rather than for bronze skin. Here's more about about appropriate sun exposure.Andrew Weil, M.D.