Tanning Beds Cancer

Over a million Americans visit a tanning salon each day to obtain that beautiful, golden tan. Many of them believe that tanning in a tanning is bed is much safer than lying out on the beach slathered in sunscreen. But is it?

Many studies show that exposure to the ultraviolet rays produced by tanning beds is as dangerous as tanning from exposure to the sun, even though the tanning industry claims that bed tanning is safer. Most skin experts agree that a tan is unsafe, no matter how you get it.

No Safe Tan

No matter what the source, exposure to ultraviolet radiation is dangerous. The skin tans as a result of this damage in an effort to protect itself from further damage. According to dermatologist James M. Spencer, MD, “There can be no tan without the DNA damage.”

Molecular changes in the skin that have been linked to melanoma are often triggered after just a single tanning session. These findings indicate that a person is at increased risk of developing skin cancer if they use these beds.

Many tanners are aware of the danger posed by exposure to the sun’s rays, but according to a study by the Brownman Gray School of Medicine in Wake Forest University, which is located in Winston Salem, North Carolina, many people who use tanning beds regularly are unaware that the tanning beds can cause the same harmful effects as exposure to the sun.

Many teens are aware of the risks of tanning. Even though they are often aware that tanning beds are as dangerous as tanning in the sun, they continue to visit tanning salons anyhow. In a study of 505 teens aged 12 to 17, the American Academy of Dermatology discovered that although 80 percent of teens know that tanning is dangerous, the majority of them (about 66%) think tanning makes them look better.

Melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer, killed about 8,000 people in the US in 2001. Approximately 20% of Americans will develop some form of skin cancer at some point in their lives. The FTC warns that using commercial tanning beds to tan causes damage to your skin. Too much exposure to UV radiation can cause skin cancer, early aging and eye injuries, regardless of the source of the radiation.

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