While direct, prolonged, unprotected exposure to the sun has long been discouraged in everything from medical journals to fashion magazines -- it can cause wrinkles, age spots and, in some cases, cancer -- a new study recently found that tanning beds also pose a significant threat to skin health.
The study, released by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and published in the medical journal Lancet Oncology, recommends that tanning beds be labeled as "carcinogenic to humans" and compares their cancer risk to that of cigarettes and arsenic.
"I think the study validates what most studies have shown," said dermatologist Dr. John Hancox of Mountain State Dermatology. "For people who deal with skin cancer, it's good for us to finally have more published knowledge about something we've known for a long time."
The research states the risk of melanoma is increased by 75 percent in people who started using tanning beds regularly before the age of 30. According to the National Cancer Institute, in 2009, about 68,720 new cases of melanoma will occur. And the America Melanoma Foundation found that melanoma is the second most common cancer among women ages 20-29.5.
Which is important, said Hancox, because "because most tanning happens when you're young."
He said, while most people are aware that a sunburn is dangerous, for years, dermatologists have had to fight the public perception that a tan looks healthy. "I tell patients, 'Think about something. When you broil something, you burn it immediately. If you put it in the oven at 250 degrees, you're still baking it. You just cook yourselves slower. A tan is the body's way of saying stop putting UV light on me. I have to turn brown to protect myself.' "This is like other silent killers -- hypertension, high blood pressure. You don't feel bad. You go under the tanning bed and feel good, and feel like you look good." In fact, Hancox participated in research at Wake Forrest that found that tanning may be, at least to some degree, addictive in nature. "We had a tanning bed lab, where we studied the effects of tanning. A professor was trying to show -- I don't want to overstate this -- that there was a slight addictive quality. Being in a tanning bed can induce endorphins, similar to a runner's high and certain drugs, so that people want to have it more often. The tanning industry is not doing this on purpose, it's just a fact. That may be why some people feel so good." But, though you can't feel the serious negative effects, Hancox said the ultraviolet rays in tanning beds can cause harmful DNA mutations, which may lead to cancer. He stresses, though, that like other forms of cancer, a person's risk of getting melanoma is related to more factors than just how much you tan, such as family history.
"There's a genetic component to melanoma that's very strong," Hancox said. "You can get melanoma where sun doesn't shine. If you tan, you're exacerbating a problem that may already be there." But several local tanning salons, such as Cabo Tans, haven't noticed a decline in customers since the release of this latest study. "It's not affecting our business," said Gail Hart, manager at Cabo Tans, who thinks the study is a bit "overexaggerated." "I've been tanning for 15 to 20 years and have been in the business for 10, and I'm fine." And, according to the Associated Press, The Sunbed Association -- a European trade association of tanning bed makers and operators -- released a statement that said there "is no proven link between the responsible use of sunbeds [more commonly referred to as tanning beds in the U.S.] and skin cancer." But for those who would rather be safe than sorry, and can't seem to live without a "healthy glow," Hancox suggests an alternative -- self-tanners. "It's so much safer," he said. "If you're really going to [tan] though, I at least suggest you follow up with a skin specialist. But, if you're doing it to look good, remember when you tan on your face you'll see signs of aging faster," he said, giving examples of blotchy, discolored patches of skin and wrinkles.
And though Hancox has recently seen it advertised that tanning stimulates a person's production of vitamin D, he said that a normal person in most climates will stimulate that production with exposure to the sun in their normal day. He said it's much safer to take a supplement, if you feel that you're deficient. And he agrees with the sentiment that no tan is a safe one. "It all damages your skin," he said. "[Tanning beds] are 10-12 times more intense [than the sun]. You're speeding up the process. I don't know if [the study] quantified the number of tanning episodes, but it's a dose related risk, which means more tanning equals higher risk."
