Life is too precious to risk it inside a tanning bed

22 May 2001

By Mimi Davis

Jane Smith (fictitious name) and her high school friends are counting the minutes before school is out on a Friday afternoon. They are excited about the weekend's prom and want to look their best for this memorable night.

To accomplish this goal, they have appointments at a hair and nail salon as well as a tanning bed salon. Each one visits the tanning salon once a week. In the girls' minds, maintaining a deep dark radiant tan year-round makes them look more attractive and healthier. Since skin aging and cancer are not immediate effects, they are unaware of how badly they are damaging their skin.

Jane and her friends are just a fraction of the 30 million people who are putting themselves at risk by visiting the more than 49,000 tanning salons in the U.S. each day. Seven out of 10 customers are women between the ages of 16 and 60. The $3 billion a year tanning salon industry features tanning booths, beds or sun lamps that emit ultraviolet rays two or three times stronger than natural sunlight. Patrons more than likely believe advertisements that claim a "safe tanning experience with no harmful side effects."

However, medical researchers argue that overexposure to the sun, especially from tanning beds, damages the skin and greatly increases the chance of skin cancer and other related health problems such as premature wrinkling and eye damage that may cause blindness. It also contributes to immune system disorders that make the body more susceptible to infections and various types of cancers. In fact, exposure to tanning beds and sun lamps was recently identified as a "known human carcinogen" in the National Toxicology Program's 9th Report on Carcinogens 2000 of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The popular clamshell-like tanning bed is the most harmful. One 15-30 minute session exposes the body to the same amount of harmful ultraviolet light as a day at the beach. Customers lie on a thermoplastic shield while ultraviolet light bombards them from above.

A recent scientific study found that a person only had to use an indoor tanning device 10 or more times a year to significantly increase the risk of developing a malignant melanoma -- an aggressive form of skin cancer that can be fatal if it is not detected early. Or a person may develop basal cell or squamous cell carcinomas -- other serious forms of skin cancer that can cause disfigurement, serious health problems and even death.

With the depletion of the ozone layer and the popularity of tanning salons, it is not surprising that skin cancer is one of the fastest growing cancers, and the rate of incidence is expected to increase.

Dr. Trey Truett, an Owensboro dermatologist, says that he is seeing an increase of skin cancer in his patients. In particular, he has removed 25 skin cancers from a 32-year-old female patient who regularly used a tanning bed. With the popularity of tanning beds in this area, it is inevitable that more residents will require his services.

Realizing the health hazard of indoor tanning devices, the American Medical Association House of Delegates passed a resolution urging the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to control the sale and use of tanning equipment for nonmedical purposes. FDA rules require a manufacturer's warning label be posted conspicuously in salons that offer tanning bed services, and salons must comply with safety regulations. However, a recent study found that most salon operators fail to follow FDA guidelines.

The Kentucky Medical Association Alliance (KMAA), a volunteer organization comprised of physicians' spouses, is taking a proactive approach to combat the problem. As part of its sun safety program, the KMAA is working to generate public awareness of the dangers of tanning bed use, promote enforcement of warning labels on tanning bed equipment and advocate parental consent for those under the age of 18.

"Skin cancer is one of the most preventable cancers," says KMAA President Sandi Frost of Somerset. "Keep your teens out of tanning beds, and if they must have 'the look,' self tanners are a safe alternative." She strongly believes that for the incidence of skin cancer to decrease, we must educate residents, especially young children and their parents, about the harmful effects of tanning beds and the importance of sunscreen protection when participating in outdoor activities.

Now that summer is here, protect yourself and your children from overexposure to the sun by using effective sunscreens, and never use an indoor tanning device. Life is too precious to put your health at risk.

Mimi Davis lives in Owensboro, where she is the mother of three girls.

Mimi Davis,

mimidavis@mindspring.com