Tanning Salon Users…Beware!

Indoor tanning is now a 5 billion dollar a year industry!  In the US, state to state regulation of the tanning salon industry is sparse at best and any attempt to restrict consumer access has been vigorously opposed by the financial dollars of the industry.  The scientific evidence that indoor tanning is harmful to the skin is unequivocal, especially for adolescents.  Despite the reported hazards of using tanning salons, even when minimal regulations are in place, people in the US continue to seek the “artificial sun.”  Here are a few important facts to remember:

1)      Indoor tanning offers no health benefits and is no safer than conventional tanning.

2)      Tanning before a vacation provides no added protection (estimated SPF 3) and confers a false sense of security, allows for increased exposure times and compounds lifetime cumulative sun exposure.

3)      Tanning salon use does increase one’s future risk of developing squamous cell skin cancer and basal cell skin cancer.

4)      Monthly tanning salon use is associated with a 55% increased risk of melanoma and is greatest for users aged 20 to 29 years.

5)      An average tanning sessions delivers 4.5 to 7.0 times the required UVB for vitamin D synthesis, thus resulting in far greater skin exposure than is necessary. 

A word of advice to parents:  Just say NO to your teenage children when they ask to use a tanning salon.  The evidence is clear that tanning salon light is harmful to the skin.  I have seen, of late, a disproportionate younger group of patients, particularly young females, with melanoma who had been regular users of tanning salons.