Tanning

  • Indoor tanning (tanning bed, booth, or sunlamp) can cause: 1
    • Skin cancer (including melanoma, the deadliest type)
    • Cataracts
    • Cancers of the eye (ocular melanoma)
    • Premature aging, wrinkles, and age spots
    • Changes in skin texture
  • Those who begin indoor tanning in adolescence or early adulthood have a higher risk of getting melanoma. 
  • Indoor tanning is not a safe way to get Vitamin D. 1
    • Diet is much safer!
  • Indoor tanning use in minors (younger than 18): 1
  • Indoor tanning use on college campuses:
    • According to the 2010 National Health Interview Survey, approximately 1 in 3 non-Hispanic white women between 18-21 and 22-25 years reported using indoor tanning. 1
    • 48% of the top 125 colleges have indoor tanning facilities either on campus or in off-campus housing.2
    • 14% of colleges allow campus cash cards to be used to pay for tanning. 1
    • Because adolescents are more likely to tan if they live in close proximity (within 2 miles) of an indoor tanning salon, on-campus tanning facilities pose a major threat to the health of the young adults in our nation.3,4,5

 


Sources:

1. Skin Cancer. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/skin/basic_info/sun-safety.htm. Published 2014. Accessed July 11, 2016.
2. Wehner MR, Chren M, Nameth D, et al. International prevalence of indoor tanning: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Dermatol. 2014;150(4):390-400
3. Hoerster KD, Mayer JA, Woodruff SI, Malcarne V, Roesch SC, Clapp E. The influence of parents and peers on adolescent indoor tanning behavior: findings from a multi-city sample. J Am Acad Dermatol. Dec 2007;57(6):990-997.
4. Mayer JA, Woodruff SI, Slymen DJ, et al. Adolescents' use of indoor tanning: a large-scale evaluation of psychosocial, environmental, and policy-level correlates. American journal of public health. May 2011;101(5):930-938.
5. Pagoto SL, Lemon SC, Oleski JL, et al. Availability of Tanning Beds on US College Campuses. JAMA dermatology. Oct 29 2014.