Tanning salon associated with higher rates of melanoma.

Sunday, June 29th, 2014

Because tanning beds use UVA light that,when natural, has been associated with skin cancer including melanoma, we at the Center for Plastic Surgery have been preaching avoidance for many years. Now there is enough evidence that tanning beds cause cancer that the fact is making it into the non-medical media.
Reuters (5/29, Seaman) reports on a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute finding that the use of a tanning salon to get a tan may provide some protection against sunburn, but does not provide protection against skin cancer. The study was based on a comparison of 1,167 melanoma patients with 1,101 people who did not have cancer but were otherwise similar. The study found that 78 percent of those with melanoma reported using tanning salons, while just 40 percent of those without cancer did.
TIME (5/28, Sifferlin) reports the study “shows that even if you don’t get a sunburn while indoor tanning, it still raises your risk for skin cancer.” HealthDay (5/28, Mozes) reports that study co-author DeAnn Lazovich said, “tanning is a biological response to damage to the DNA.” She added, “there is no safe way to tan,” stating that “avoidance of ultraviolet radiation in any form should be the goal.” HealthDay also points out that “the U.S. National Cancer Institute also advises against any form of indoor tanning.”