35% of American adults, 59% of college students and 17% of teens have reported using a tanning bed in their lifetime. Many people believe that using a tanning bed is safer than tanning outside. Unfortunately, that’s untrue. Indoor tanning exposes you to UV rays, the cause of most skin cancer. No tan is a safe tan and just because a tanning bed is controlled doesn’t mean you aren’t at risk.
READ THIS: More people develop skin cancer from indoor tanning than develop lung cancer from smoking.
Now here are other statistics that will keep you from visiting the tanning salon:
- In the US alone, 419,254 cases of skin cancer can be attributed to indoor tanning.
- Approximately 7.8 million adult women and 1.9 million adult men tan indoors.
- Nearly 70% of tanning salon patrons are Caucasian girls and young women.
- Melanoma is the second most common cancer in females age 15-29.
- Melanoma is the most common cancer in females aged 25-29.
- Melanoma is the leading cause of cancer death in women 25-29 years old.
- The amount of radiation produced during indoor tanning is similar to that of the sun, and in some cases can be stronger.
- Indoor tanning before age 35 can increase your risk of melanoma by 59%; and the risk increases with each use.
- Occasional use of tanning beds triples your chances of getting melanoma.
- Indoor tanning before age 24 increases one’s risk of developing basal cell carcinoma by age 50.
- The majority of tanning bulbs emit UVA radiation but we need UVB radiation to produce vitamin D.
- Tanning is so dangerous that several countries have made it illegal.
Be smart. Protect yourself by avoiding tanning beds and sunlamps. The long-term risks aren’t worth it.
And if you’ve used tanning beds or sunlamps in the past, click here to request an appointment for a skin exam.
Sources: http://www.skincancer.org/news/tanning/international, https://www.aad.org/media/stats/prevention-and-care