Tanning Beds: Friend or For

“Unlike the sun, indoor tanning will not cause skin cancer or skin aging” (Federal Trade Commission 1). This is a claim that the Federal Commission says to look out for; many tanning bed ads claim that these indoor beds cause no harm. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 53,792 people in the United States were diagnosed with melanomas of the skin, the third most common type of skin cancer, but also the most dangerous. According to an article in Time, Julie Rawe states that up to 60,000 deaths worldwide are caused each year by excessive Ultra Violet(UV) exposure(1). Excessive indoor tanning had become a trend among many youth adults of both sexes. I plan to use multiple articles on the dangers of tanning beds and why teens keep returning, a book source and a commercial of a tanning bed ad in order to bring this health issue to the public’s attention. The use of tanning beds have become a public health concern among dermatologists and many teens and young adults think it’s safe and healthy; use of tanning beds increases your risks of skin cancer.

One way for this public health issue to be noticed is through statistics. As shown through a graph in Skin Cancer: Recognition and Management, there are three common skin cancers, Non-melanoma which are basal and squamous cells, and then there is Melanoma of the skin. Melanoma of the skin had over 25,000 incidents and over 5,000 deaths in the United States in 1987. Non-melanoma cancers amounted to 900,000 incidents and over 2,000 deaths combined in 1987 (Schwartz 391). The CDC stated that of the 53,792 diagnosed with melanoma in the United States in 2005, 8,345 people in the United States died of melanomas of the skin. That’s a lot of deaths and incidents that could have been prevented. According to Dermatology Nursing:

Almost 30 million Americans visit indoor tanning salons each year, and on an average day, more than 1 million Americans visit tanning salons. Of these, 70% are Caucasian girls and women between the ages of 16 and 49” (Gorgos 1).

To think that almost ¾ of people visiting tanning beds are women, and young women at that. Adi Narayan states in Cancer and Teen Tanning: Where’s the Regulation?, “The risk of cutaneous melanoma is increases by 75% when use of tanning devices starts before 30 years of age,” (1). If teens knew these statistics, would they still continue to tan?

Since there are so many forms and looks of melanoma, you would think it would be easy to detect and realize you might have skin cancer....

When did this trend in indoor tanning begin? "The tanning industry makes its profits off selling a carcinogen to teenagers and young adults. In that sense, it is similar to the cigarette industry," as stated by Dr. Martin Weinstock (Narayan 1). This is a very good analogy, tanning salons don’t care who comes to tan, as long as people come. As stated in Why Teens Are Obsessed With Tanning, it is estimated that 2.3 million girls visit tanning beds regularly. Tanning has become an addiction for some; in the middle of winter girls want a sun kissed glow on their skin. “The real challenge is combating the adolescent culture that currently encourages compulsive tanning” (Rawe 1, 2). In a Seattle Sun Tanning Salon commercial featured on YouTube, the actors are all appeared bronzed, fit and beautiful. The commercial is well put together and intriguing but they fail to mention any dangers to indoor tanning. It’s no wonder why teens are drawn to tanning, all the people they see in commercials, on TV and in movies are bronzed and beautiful looking.

Its no wonder girls are obsessed with being tan, all advertisements show girls looking like this...

Most tanning salons fail to post the dangers of tanning beds. Most teens and young adults don’t have any idea how unhealthy the UV rays emitted by tanning beds can be for them. The worst consequence of indoor tanning or any tanning for that matter is signs of cancer. “The incidence of melanoma, the most lethal form of skin cancer, has doubled in the U.S. since 1975 among women ages 15 to 29” (Rawe 1). Primary skin cancer is the most common cancer among mankind and it is on the rise although it is often avoidable (Schwartz vii). Why is skin cancer on the rise when there is so many ways to prevent it? One prevention method would be cutting out unnecessary UV exposure, like tanning beds. You need to wear protective eyewear when outdoors, consider your skin type and family history and always wear sunscreen. Not only does overexposure cause skin cancer, it can cause eye injury, premature wrinkling of the skin, and light-induced skin rashes (Federal Trade Commission 2, 3). Young girls have this idea that tanning makes them look good, but in reality, how is it going to make them look 30 years from now?

Top: I am not sure if this is a real picture or not, but either way, I don't think anyone wants to look anything like this woman... Bottom: Tanning is great now, but who wants to age that much faster?

What are some things that we as a culture can do to help with this problem? The CDC wants to set up a consensus-based set of foundation items to measure indoor and sunless tanning use. They also have been doing a lot of research along with setting up various school guidelines for skin protection. The American Academy of Dermatology or ADA, believes that no minor should be allowed to use tanning beds; Surgeon General’s warning should also be placed on all indoor tanning devices and facilities should not be allowed to say that the tanning device is “safe” (Gorgos 1). According to Tanning Salons Lax On Some Rules For Teens, twenty-one states have laws that limit indoor tanning for minors. Also the World Health Organization recommends that it tanning be banned to girl under eighteen. There is a project going on currently to help with teen use of tanning beds, the project is called CITY: 100. It stands for Controlling Indoor Tanning in Youth (Mertens 1). People in the community and celebrities need to speak out against this issue; otherwise the consequences could be severe for the current teen population.

I myself have had personal experiences with tanning beds. I did not start using tanning beds until I was in high school. Prom came junior year and I decided that since my friends were tanning that I wanted to too. My mom didn’t care that I went a few times before but it was our secret, my dad is a doctor and if he found out he would be furious. I knew that it was probably bad but I went anyways. I did the same thing the following year, I went tanning ten times or so before prom. I just felt better about myself when I was tan. I started college in the fall with no tanning but then spring came around so quickly that I wanted to get tan faster because I didn’t have time to lie out in the sun. I bought a local tanning package where I could tan as much as I wanted for a month, I went three times or so a week. I started to really think about what I was doing; I want to be a doctor some day, what kind of example was I setting by going to tan when I knew how bad it was for my skin? Since I started back to school I haven’t been in a tanning bed. I am trying to convince my roommates now not to tan as well. I always did feel better when I was tan but now I know I am beautiful inside and out whether I am tan or not.

The use of tanning beds have become a public health concern among dermatologists and many teens and young adults think it’s safe and healthy; use of tanning beds increases your risks of skin cancer. Now that we know all the facts and concerns, what are we going to do about it? Skin cancer and indoor tanning is on the rise in our communities, especially among the young adults. This issue needs brought up more. We put out ads and talk about drinking and smoking being bad things to start so why shouldn’t indoor tanning be included in this? Do we really want out sons and daughters worrying about skin cancer 10 or 20 years down the line? Save lives by standing out against indoor tanning.