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Radiation from tanning beds may be more carcinogenic than previously realized, according to a new study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.
Researchers in the U.K. have reported that the ultraviolet rays given off by a typical tanning bed penetrate deep into the skin, and can cause significant damage.
Study participants were exposed to ultraviolet rays (UVA1) from tanning beds, and also to shorter wavelength ultraviolet rays (UVB). The first penetrated to the base layer of skin, where the rays induced lesions. The UVA1 was more damaging to the skin's basal layer, but while the UVB also caused the same lesions, they did not penetrate as deeply.
It should no longer be a surprise that indoor tanning beds increase the risk of melanoma. California just passed a law banning children under the age of 18 from using tanning beds. The law is the most restrictive of its kind in the country, even though many states have similar laws on the books. Previously, California allowed children 14 to 18 to use a tanning bed with written permission from a parent.
The American Academy of Pediatrics also supports legislation prohibiting salon tanning by minors.
Bottom line: Take a pass on getting a tan from a tanning salon. But if you really need to be tan, fake it with any number of FDA-approved self-tanning products on the market today.
Sources
UVA1 Induces Cyclobutane Pyrimidine Dimers but Not 6-4 Photoproducts in Human Skin In Vivo [Journal of Investigative Dermatology]
Teens, owners object to tanning-bed ban for minors [San Francisco Chronicle]
—Maggie Shader
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