A Sunny Coffin? Tanning Beds May Be as Carcinogenic as Tobacco
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But a little thing like that won't keep the powerful U.S. tanning bed industry from trumpeting the safety--even the health benefits--of lying down while powerful lights pummel your body with carcinogenic UV rays. "The UV light from a tanning bed is equivalent to UV light from the sun, which has had a group 1 classification since 1992," says Dan Humiston, president of the Indoor Tanning Association, which has "always emphasized the importance of moderation when it comes to UV light from either the sun or a tanning bed."
Tempted to believe him? Couldn't swing that Maui getaway this year but want to look great? Inspired by Sarah Palin's tan? Don't be fooled: Tanning beds are really, really, really bad for you. Consider:
- Individuals who use tanning devices before age 30 are at a 75 percent increased risk of skin melanoma -- the most dangerous form of skin cancer, causing about 8,650 deaths a year in the US alone.
- "Frequent tanners using new high-pressure sunlamps may receive as much as 12 times the annual UVA doses compared to those they receive from sun exposure" says Deborah S. Sarnoff, MD, vice president of The Skin Cancer Foundation. In the Foundation's response to the IARC's announcement, she refers to tanning beds as coffin beds.
- "Many tanning beds emit UVA rays, which don't burn but penetrate to the deeper layers of skin, increasing the risk of DNA damage and skin cancer," says Jessica Wu, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Los Angeles and an expert for EverydayHealth.com.
- According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, tanning beds increase not only your risk of melanoma but also premature aging, eye damage, direct injury to blood vessels, collagen breakdown, age spots,and oh yes, basal cell and squamous cell skin cancers.
"Sitting in the sun is less dangerous than a tanning bed," says Dr. Wu. "At least at the beach, after a certain amount of time your skin burns, and you go indoors." Even moderate exposure can cause permanent damage, she warns.
That doesn't make the sun safe, of course. While vitamin D is a good thing, you can get it with just a few minutes in a sun, as well as through dietary sources, such as fish and low-fat milk. And there's no such thing as a safe tan--unless it comes from a bottle.
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There are all kins of carcinogenic influences and none can be excluded when assigning blame. When there are efforts to exclude medical treatment based on risk factors it would be good to not draw absolute classifications. That is why a culture should have national health care that covers everyone without assigning blame and accepts the mix of risk factors society allows otherwise we may be forced by insurance companies to live underground and exposure to sunlight grounds for excluding coverage unless we move to the darkside of the moon that is.
Tanning beds are not only dangerous, they suck! The best tan does come from a bottle! I recommend Clarins, Bare Bronze from VS, or the tanning line by True Blue Spa sold at BBW. I have tried all these, and the tans I get are believable and without all the damage! I'm always getting compliments on how good my skin looks. I think Clarins has the best, but they are pricey. Don't recommend the Jergen's tanning lotions, they don't work.
I think it says a lot when a doctor says it's better for you to go out in the sun and get burned as being better than using a tanning bed. Common sense will tell you that that using a tanning bed in moderation and not burning your skin makes more sense. Is there a connection between dermatologists and the sunscreen manufacturers? I would rather control how much time I spend getting my uv rays and vitamin D for my physical and mental health than sitting out in the sun and getting burnt!
I was laying out tanning - sweating like a piggy. My beautifully surong dressed female neighbors from the Far East (India) were sitting in the deep shade of a near-by tree eating cherries and giggling. Their skin was the natural color that I was sweating to attain. How ironic on so many levels.
It has been found that tanning beds emits some harmful ultraviolet radiation which increases the risk of skin cancer. It can also lead to eye cancer. Those who opt frequently for tanning beds are eight times more likely to get melanoma, the most awful form of skin cancer than those who haven't used them. Inspite of knowing this, many people are still using tanning beds. For more details on tanning beds, refer Tanning beds
I would definitely believe that. There is something about closing yourself in a metal and plastic box with these weird lamps frying your skin that just sounds wrong.
To be honest, I think there's something odd about sunless tanners too. Anything that stays on/in you like that just can't be good.
Skin was meant to be exposed to sunlight. It changes color when it's exposed as a mechanism, and it peels itself as a protective thing too. Not to say you should be going out and being a tanoholic in the sun, but that's got to be a lot better than all this artificial mess!
After losing my daughter to melanoma just 4 months after being dx with the disease I am so happy that they are finally beginning to speak out about the risk of tanning beds!
Read the melanoma information on my squidoo site, http://www.squidoo.com/melanoma-information , or read our story at http://olivejuicedesigns.net/cart/page.html?chapter=0&id=8
Terri- You must not have ANY common sense to make a comment like that! These doctors have devoted their lives to the study of skin cancer and I'm sure they know more about it than you do. Any change in skin color indicates damage, whether it's a burn or a nice golden brown. If you want to follow your "common sense" and visit tanning beds- go for it! Just don't be surprised when you look 10 years older than your real age and you end up with melanoma.
I believe this and have for a long time. It seems no one cares or thinks about the long term effects it will have on their skin and health...kinda funny because it all starts with vanity. Hopefully, this article will open people's eyes and maybe make them be happy with the color they are. I am irish..white as a ghost, yet I live on.