Summer is the time for sun, lakes, and barbecues. It’s also the time of the year when prolonged exposure to the sun leads to suntans, sunburns, and thoughts of skin cancer as we lather on the sun screen. What we may not think about it the additional risks we bring on ourselves if we tan indoors.
In an article titled “Melanoma on Rise with Indoor Tanning” by Nancy Walsh, Staff Writer, MedPage Today, it’s pointed out that there in new, additional evidence that indoor tanning increases melanoma risk. This risk is attributed directly to the use of indoor tanning beds. The new statistics are frightening:
- Overall, there is a 20% increased risk for melanoma with any indoor tanning
- The incidence rate of melanoma nearly doubles when indoor tanning bed use starts before the age of 35
- For each tanning session, there’s an 1.8% increased risk of melanoma
Oh, what to do? Either light and non-tan needs to be the new “in” or it’s on to liquid tans….until we find out the harm in that, too.
Our own Top Physician, Dr. Clay Cockerell weighed in on this information and stated, “These findings now confirm what we have been observing in practice. We have been seeing more and more melanoma in young women who tan. This should be a wake-up call to young women and their parents. There are dire dangers associated with tanning and understand that there is no such thing as a “safe” tan.”