Indoor Tanning: You Must Read This

Originally published in the Fall, 2009 issue of Skin News, written by Richard G. Asarch, M.D. :

For some time now our practice has advised against using tanning beds even though they are marketed to consumers as being safe. They are not! World health leaders have issues the strongest warning yet about indoor tanning and cancer risk, labeling the devices as "carcinogenic to humans" - as much so as smoking cigarettes or exposure to arsenic and asbestos.

The new research, published in The Lancet Oncology medical journal, found a higher-than-expected risk of potentially deadly skin cancer in people using sunlamps and tanning beds for cosmetic purposes. "The risk of skin melanoma is increased by 75% when use of tanning devices starts before 30 years of age," states the report from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the agency responsible for developing the most widely used system for classifying carcinogens. The group also found a link between tanning bed use and risk of melanoma of the eye.

The American Academy of Dermatology and the American Cancer Society recommend avoiding tanning beds altogether. The FDA is currently reviewing the language and positioning of warning labels on tanning equipment to convey a shorter and more forceful message.

Conventional tanning beds produce an average 95% UVA and 5% UVB rays. Newer versions, however, emit higher levels of UVB to accelerate the tanning process. Previously, the cancer-causing effects of ultra-violet light were thought to be primarily related to UVB, or ultraviolet B radiation. The tanning industry emphasizes the use of UVA radiation since these so-called "tanning rays" are less likely to cause a sunburn than the UVB radiation from sunlight. Contrary to the claims of some tanning parlors, that does not make them safe. In fact, they cause deeper skin damage. "This new report now extends the cancer-causing effects of solar or sun-related radiation to UVA light as well," says Len Lichtenfeld, M.D., deputy chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society. The findings put to rest the argument that tanning with UVA light is safe.