The Indoor Tanning Controversy


Defined Tag: Tanning Beds.
In the United States, the indoor tanning industry (ITI)--currently estimated at $5 billion--inaccurately advertises vitamin D production and UV (ultraviolet) protection as health benefits of tanning. People who tan in an indoor tanning facility may be susceptible to skin cancer due to unrestricted, uninhibited, long-term UV radiation exposure. While many believe that indoor tanning is safer than outdoor tanning, many of the same health risks, including skin cancer, skin/eye burns, photoaging, photo-drug reactions, and alterations of the immune system are associated with this activity.

The science of photobiology, which studies the effects of light on life, was founded on studying the positive effects of sunlight. Indeed, the 1903 Nobel Prize for Physiology/Medicine was awarded to Dr. Niels Finsen for his work treating the disease lupus vulgaris with ultraviolet light. While the indoor tanning industry in the United States promotes its services for cosmetic purposes, the fact remains that exposing the skin to ultraviolet light is the body’s primary means of producing vitamin D (which in turn is related to positive physiological effects). Exposure to UV light is also responsible for the production of endorphins and serotonin (which in turn is related to positive psychological effects). Given these facts, the indoor tanning association feels confident that indoor tanning can indeed offer health as well as cosmetic benefits.

Despite this information, the use of indoor tanning devices which emit ultraviolet UV light, both in tanning salons and at home has never been more popular. The industry serves 28 million people; generates $5 billion a year; and is represented by 30,000 tanning facilities across the country, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.

Some tanning salon advertisements make the case that indoor tanning is a safer option than outdoor tanning because it is more controlled. Many dermatologists find that claim difficult to accept. The fact is that ultraviolet light from indoor tanning beds damages skin in the same way that outdoor ultraviolet radiation does. So it isn't necessarily a matter of one source of UV light being healthier than the other, they say. Rather, the key risk factor is overall cumulative exposure. And the convenience of tanning salons is upping exposure for many people. Moreover, new high-pressure sunlamps emit doses that can be as much as 15 times that of the sun, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.

Recently, medical organizations have been taking a harder look at indoor tanning. In March 2005, the World Health Organization recommended that no persons under the age of 18 use indoor tanning beds. The American Academy of Dermatology fully supports this recommendation and encourages states to actively pursue legislation that protects children.

One industry study has shown that indoor tanning enthusiasts are 81 percent less likely to sunburn indoors or outside than non-tanners. That's because tanning salons are playing a lead role in educating people that moderate tanning is okay and sunburn should be avoided. The impractical message of sun abstinence promoted by the "sun-scare coalition" is totally ineffective, people are not going to hide from sunshine. Indeed, the American Academy of Dermatology reported in 1997 that sunburn incidence has increased nine percent in the past 10 years, despite all-out efforts of sun-scare industries to warn people about the dangers of overexposure. In that same time period, sunburn incidence among indoor tanning enthusiasts has declined. It is the non-tanners who are doing most of the burning. Given that reality, teaching people who can tan the principles of smart tanning is most practical.

As with everything in life, moderation is ket. Indoor tanning can be dangerous, especially if you swap infrequent outdoor tanning with frequent indoor tanning. So stay safe and keep your skin healthy!