Study Confirms Tanning beds are Hazardous to Young People

What's your opinion? : Tell us what you think by writing a review. merely click on the "Write a Review" link at the very bottom of this page.

December 13, 2011--

Tanning beds are hazardous to your health. Imagine getting one's body practically naked (perhaps not even practically) and zapping it with high doses of UVA, ultra violet radiation, until the body attempts to defend itself by moving a melanin shield to prevent DNA damage. That's what's happening across the U.S. to an alarming degree. An estimated 30 million Americans use indoor tanning beds each year

Tanning bed franchises are all quite legal, just like cigarettes are, only they don't carry a warning label. Perhaps the latest study out of Yale will raise the awareness level of this dangerous practice. The hazards are most insidious among our young people, especially girls and young women.

Young people who use indoor tanning beds have a 69% increased chance of contracting one form of skin cancer.

Indoor tanning beds are particularly dangerous for young women and girls. In the 16-29 age group, melanoma is the second most common form of cancer, and women under the age of 39 are twice as likely to develop it as men.

Young Women and Girls Most Afflicted

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, on an average day, more than one million people in the U.S. use tanning salons. Of these, 71% are girls and women aged 16-29. In this age group, melanoma is the second most common form of cancer, and women under the age of 39 are twice as likely to develop it as men.

This week, scientists at the Yale School of Public Health in New Haven, Connecticut found that young people who tanned on the indoor beds had a 69% increased chance of suffering from early-onset basal cell carcinoma.

There are 3 main kinds of skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma. Of the 3, melanoma can be lethal.

Basal cell carcinoma is not usually fatal, but can be very disfiguring if they continue to grow, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation. It can potentially spread to other parts of the body and become lethal. Treatment includes outpatient procedures, including freezing or surgically removing the cancerous area.

The Yale findings are published in the December 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. The authors are calling for more regulations on indoor tanning, similar to California's teen tanning ban.

In October 2011, Gov. Jerry Brown of California signed into law a bill that prevents children under the age of 18 from using indoor tanning beds. The law takes effect Jan. 1. 2012.

Previously Texas banned the use of tanning beds for children under 16. Thirty other states also have some age restrictions on the use.

A previous study published June 2010 in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention showed that individuals who tanned indoors had a 74% increased risk of melanoma (the lethal form of skin cancer).

Posting date: 12/13/11

Source: Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology

More Like This…

The Sun - Tanning Beds - and Melanoma

UK Doctors Advise Against Tanning Beds

Tanning Beds, Sunshine and Vitamin D, Optimum Dosages to Be Determined

Sun Bathing in Moderation May Help Prevent Cancer - Even Skin Cancer

What's your opinion?

Tell us what you think by writing a review. Please click on the "Write a Review" link at the very bottom of this page.
end of story