Tanning bed: Are the rays worth the risk?

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Golden Girls

Tanning bed: Are the rays worth the risk?

Ashley Lutz / For The Post / al164906@ohiou.edu


The emotional and cosmetic benefits of tanning beds are often said to be addictive, but health professionals warn that the long-term consequences of tanning far outweigh the feel-good after effect.

According to a 2006 study done by researchers at Wake Forest University, the ultraviolet light emitted by tanning beds can cause the body to release endorphins — the brain chemicals related to feelings of euphoria — and can leave frequent tanners addicted to their habit.

Tanning can be addictive, said Erin Kranz, an Ohio University sophomore. She said that she has tanned almost every day since age 15 and would roller blade to the salon because she was too young to drive.

“It helps me feel good in the winter,” she said. “It’s like a little 20-minute power nap everyday.”

Kranz tries to ignore the health risks, but she does use lotion to deflect skin damage, she said.

Georgia Daniel, a dermatology nurse practitioner at Central West Virginia Dermatology in Parkersburg, said that there is no such thing as a “safe” tanning bed.

“There has absolutely been a documented increase in the amount of skin cancer cases, and it is attributed more to tanning beds than to outside tanning,” she said. She added that tanning is as risky of a behavior as tobacco or alcohol.

National research supports Daniel’s misgivings: According to the National Cancer Institute, women who use the tanning bed more than once a month are 55 percent more likely to develop malignant melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer.

Daniel acknowledged that tanning could have short-term positive effects, such as treatment of acne, but warned that health risks far outweigh these benefits.

Unlimited tanning packages offered by salons cause people to visit more frequently, said Leslie Perkins, a sophomore who says she visits the salon “practically every day.”

“When I buy a month unlimited, I feel bad if I don’t go, like I’m wasting money,” Perkins said.

Parental consent is required for minors to visit tanning beds in 26 states, but the American Academy of Dermatology is working to make that legislation national, said Rob Bohannon, assistant director of state affairs. In the state of Ohio, minors must have a parental signature detailing how many sessions they may purchase.

The AAD finds interested dermatologists to lobby at the state level, he said.

“The idea is to reduce skin cancer rates and make sure that tanning salons are up-front and honest about the risks,” Bohannon said.

Dan Yager, manager of Attractions Salon, 19 N. Court St., said that the tanning industry tells employees that tanning beds are safer than unprotected exposure to the sun because users only receive limited amounts of different types of UV rays rather than the full effect of the sun.

“With our climate in Athens, to come in (to Attractions) three times a week would be like living in Florida with normal sun exposure,” he said.

However, Bohannon said that such claims aren’t true, as a person gets the same damage in just a few minutes in the tanning bed as they would in a few hours spent in the sun.

Frequent tanners soon might have a safer, feel-good option, Daniel said.

In Europe, devices called “warming booths” claim to cause the euphoric release of brain chemicals without any skin damage.
“They’re supposed to be released in the U.S. soon,” she said. “I’ll be curious to see where that goes.”

However, young patrons of the tanning bed remain loyal to its advantages.

“I think that people look better when they’re tan,” Kranz said. “I’ll probably continue to do it when I’m older.”

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