Do You Use Tanning Beds? – Survey of the Day

So by now you have probably heard about the New Jersey mother who allegedly brought her 5-year-old daughter into a tanning booth, where the child suffered burns. I think we can all agree that if that really did happen, it's horrible. I think we can all also agree that tanning is a lot like smoking. It has it's health risks, but if you choose to take those risks on, it's your health. Do you tan? 

Nearly 30 million people in the U.S. tan in tanning salons every year, on average, that's more than 1 million people a day who are baking themselves under tanning lamps. More than 70% of them are Caucasian females aged 16 to 49 years. The indoor tanning industry's revenues have increased fivefold since 1992, to about $5 billion. 2.3 million teens visit tanning salons in the U.S. every year. According to a Swedish study, the younger you are when you start indoor tanning, the greater your risk of melanoma. A review of seven studies revealed that your risk of melanoma increases by 75 percent if you're exposed to tanning beds before the age of 35. Although the World Health Organization (WHO) has called for teens to be banned from indoor tanning due to the dangers, only half of the states in the U.S. regulate tanning bed use by teens.

Many studies show that exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light is a definite risk factor for melanoma. Using a tanning bed more than 10 times a year made people seven times more likely to develop malignant melanoma than those who did not use tanning beds as often. The risk of melanoma was increased by 300% for those using tanning beds occasionally and by 800% for those using tanning beds more than 10 times a year. The FDA estimates that about 38,000 people will be diagnosed with melanoma this year in the U.S. and 7,300 people will die from this condition. The United States Department of Health & Human Services names UV radiation from the sun, and from artificial sources such as tanning beds and sun lamps, as a proven carcinogen, a cancer causing substance.

Along with the risk, tanning supports also believe there are benefits to indoor tanning. Professional indoor tanning salons understand that it is inappropriate to make direct health claims about indoor tanning or to suggest there are no risks associated with UV exposure from any source. One reason so many people enjoy the professional indoor tanning experience is that trained operators can give a tanner controlled UV exposures to gradually develop natural sunscreen, often called a "base tan," while minimizing the risk of sunburn. Also, millions of indoor tanning customers frequent U.S. indoor tanning salons for their own self-treatment of cosmetic skin conditions and other non-cosmetic tanning reasons. Psoriasis, eczema, acne, vitiligo, and easonal affective disorder (SAD) can all be treated in a tanning bed as well as increasing vitamin D levels.