Owners, doctors debate tanning safety

ANNE KELLY

PETER LEE, RECORD STAFF Cara O'Brien shows off a tanning bed at Northern Tropics Tanning in Cambridge yesterday. The salon stresses that it's important to wear eye protection from the light rays during an actual tanning session.

WATERLOO REGION (Jun 10, 2005)

A leading Canadian melanoma researcher predicts a "profound" rise in skin cancer over the next several decades in people who use tanning beds.

"Sunbeds are kind of the tobacco of the third millennium," Dr. David Hogg told an information session on skin cancer in Kitchener, organized by the Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Network of Waterloo Region.

"If this was a drug, I do not believe it would be allowed on the market. I think the risk is very high."

Hogg, a medical oncologist at Princess Margaret Hospital and an associate professor at the University of Toronto, said studies show tanning beds double the risk of melanoma.

However, those studies have been short-term, following tanning-bed users over six to eight years.

He suspects the longer-term risk will be much higher because a period of time elapses between exposure to a cancer-causing agent and the development of a tumour.

Owners of local tanning salons insist indoor tanning, done properly, is safe and even healthy and can't be compared to smoking.

"A comparison like that, I think, is ridiculous," said Hannele Sundberg, owner of the Sun Magic Tanning Spas Inc. chain, which has 40,000 members in Waterloo Region and Guelph.

"Using tobacco is an unnatural thing; tanning is a natural process."

Over-exposure can be damaging, Sundberg agreed. However, her staff are trained to screen clients so they get the appropriate amount of exposure and thicken their skin gradually with ultraviolet light, she said.

Indoor tanning helps protect skin from the sun's harmful rays, said Sundberg, who called sunburn, not tanning, the enemy.

But Dr. Ken Kobayashi, a Waterloo dermatologist, said it's not only sunburn but also the cumulative sun damage of tanning that increases the risk of skin cancer.

"Any tan indicates your skin is trying to combat sun damage," he said.

"Some people say they want to get a base tan before heading south for holidays to prevent burning," Kobayashi said. "A tan only provides a sun protection factor of two or three."

A safer alternative is sunscreen and avoiding the midday and early afternoon sun, he said.

Tanning beds emit primarily UVA rays, which are a more intense, deeply penetrating form of ultraviolet light, he said.

Hogg oversees a clinic for melanoma-prone families at Toronto's Sunnybrook Regional Cancer Centre. He cited research estimating that in many sunbeds, the amount of ultraviolet radiation is far above that of the midday sun in the tropics -- probably five to 10 times higher.

"In some of the classic sunbeds that are used now, a 20-minute exposure is about the same as a three-hour exposure at midday in the tropics."

Sundberg challenged that, calling it "absolutely not true."

"Has he been on a tropical island to measure this?" asked Dan Maletic, manager of Sun Magic's Weber Street location.

Sundberg said that of her company's 100 tanning beds, only one style is used as long as 20 minutes at a time and it has a weaker lamp.

Jean O'Brien, owner of Northern Tropics Tanning, which has locations in Cambridge and Waterloo, said the many different models of tanning beds mean generalizations aren't valid.

Asked if she believes tanning beds are healthy, O'Brien said, "it's safer than the sun because you know what you're getting."

At Northern Tropics, the average customer tans about twice a week," said Cara O'Brien, who manages the Cambridge salon.

She said most clients tan for about six months out of the year at an average cost of $23 to $30 per month, depending on the bed.

The tanning industry has been buoyed recently by Dr. Michael Holick, a Vitamin D researcher at Boston University Medical Centre, who argues that moderate sun exposure is healthy because it promotes the production of Vitamin D.

Holick, who wrote a book called The UV Advantage, touts Vitamin D's role in preventing osteoporosis, rickets and some cancers. But Hogg said such claims are speculative and "are not backed up by any evidence.''

And the Canadian Dermatology Association says 10 to 15 minutes of sun exposure two to three times a week, on the forearms, head and neck, are all that's required to maintain sufficient Vitamin D levels.

Hogg pointed out that the tanning bed industry is unregulated.

"The manufacturers and operators are exposing people to known carcinogens and ignoring the risk, which is well-documented, and also claiming a positive effect which is not documented," Hogg said. "To me, that seems quite misleading."

Sundberg said that although tanning salons can't advertise specific medical benefits, they have clients with a variety of health concerns. She's had people with skin conditions such as acne and psoriasis tell her they were referred by family doctors and even dermatologists. Others with depression and hormone imbalances have also been sent by doctors.

Kobayashi said he can't speak for family doctors but generally dermatologists advise against tanning parlours.

akelly@therecord.com