Don't Sacrifice Yourself for Beauty

An Associated Press article out of Washington concludes that "Tanning lamps can double the risk of some common types of skin cancer, particularly for the young." Researchers feel so strongly about their evidence that they suggest that tanning salons should be closed to minors.

The study appeared in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The research found that "people using tanning devices were 1½ times to 2½ times more likely to have common kinds of skin cancer than were people who did not use the devices." Health professionals suspected for a long time that sun lamp use increases the risk of basil cell and squamous cell skin cancers.

Margaret R. Karagas, first author of the study, explained "Even though we suspected tanning lamps might cause these types of skin cancers, there really hadn't before been epidemiological studies that addressed that issue."

Dermatologists, including Dr. James Spencer, vice chairman of the department of dermatology at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York and an expert spokesman for the American Academy of Dermatologists, praised the study. He explained that this current research confirms in humans what has already been shown in animal studies. He added that the study indicates that it's actually worse to go a tanning salon for small doses of exposure than it is to get an infrequent sunburn. "Both can seriously damage the skin", he said, "but the small day-to-day exposure is worse fin the long run", he said. "The tanning industry has said ... as long as you don't burn you'll be OK", said Spencer. "This study shows this is not true".

We recommend that you stay out of the sun as much as you can and, when you are exposed to sunlight, that you use sun screen. We recommend that you stay away from tanning parlors, even for minimal exposure. Don't Sacrifice Yourself for Beauty!