Tanning Taking A Toll?

[Editor-in-Chief]

Tanning Taking A Toll?

KSFY - Sioux Falls,SD,USA


By Dawn Crawley


Story Created: Jan 14, 2008 at 6:13 PM CST
Story Updated: Jan 14, 2008 at 6:44 PM CST


Heading to the tanning bed to look good for prom was Lexi's top priority until she developed skin cancer.

"When I was a Junior I tanned quite a bit for my junior prom . I tanned anywhere from four to five times a week for twenty minutes. Then I did that again for my senior pictures. Then in the fall of my senior year I had a malignant melonoma."

And Courtney has a similar story.

"It was very traumatic. I didn't expect it. I heard you know cancer beds. Everybody made jokes about it but I didn't expect me as young as I was to get cancer."

Dr. Redmond says he has seen more cases than usual of skin cancer and that has led him to support legislation that would regulate the tanning industry in South Dakota.

"It is imperative that we protect our teenage patients from the ravages of this disease."

But one tanning salon owner has a different opinion.

"Anybody can go out into the sun for however long and nobody regulates that. To come in here we have strict rules on how long they can be in a bed," said John Hoffman, Owner Sun Kissed Tan.

So far now, it's up to the lawmakers to decide how harmful they think those UV rays are.

[northtanman]

Never tells of how much time they spend in the sun yearly!? Most younger clients that frequent tanning salons, don't, all summer as they hit the beaches...drink it up and lay there and fry!!! I have younger clients this time of year but rarely do i see them all summer. How many problems has anyone had in a salon run professionally? I've been in business since 1988...i remember back in the early days someone getting burn't in a stand up unit...on a medication...thats it!! Any clients i hear back from...that had to stop tanning...all say...they hit the sun too hard in their early years....not from the tanning bed. They remember burning out in the sun.
The negative press is and always has been there. I'll keep pluggin away and trying to educate each and every client how great tanning is for them. "use our salon quality lotions and never burn!!" heck, i kid them...stay out of the sun!! I prefer tanning indoors anyhow.