Poll: Would you use a tanning bed?
A report published this week in the medical journal Lancet Oncology provides the strongest evidence yet that tanning bed use is linked to skin cancer, but there are plenty of folks out there willing to take the risk in order to look good.
Among them is Eric R. Riess, a partner at the law firm Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, who has a successful practice representing entrepreneurs. He said he read about the Lancet Oncology report but doesn’t plan to stop his weekly visits to a tanning salon.
“It’s that mental benefit you’re going for,” said Riess who said he thinks being bronze makes him appear better in front of clients. “When you’re in sale of a high-end service, you have to look a particular way.”
Riess doesn’t think the new report will change too many other minds either, but dermatologists hope he’s wrong. Although scientists have been raising concerns for years that tanning beds and ultraviolet radiation are probable carcinogens, the article in Lancet Oncology said experts from the cancer arm of the World Health Organization moved tanning beds into the top cancer risk category.
The new classification labels tanning beds and ultraviolet radiation as definite causes of cancer. Most lights used in tanning beds give off mainly ultraviolet radiation, which cause skin and eye cancer. According to the report, using tanning beds caused about a 20 percent increase in the relative risk of developing melanoma, the deadliest kind of skin cancer.
But tanning industry executives disputed the findings.
“There is no proof a tanning bed causes cancer,” said Todd Beckman, chief executive officer of Fenton-based The Tan Company, one of the nation’s largest tanning franchisors in the tanning industry. He said that there isn’t any way to discount the amount of time people have been exposed to natural sunlight.
“We’ve all been outside since we were toddlers.”
He said there were also other considerations, including hereditary factors and
environmental influences.
Beckman also said he didn’t expect the report to hurt business.
“These reports have been coming out since I got in the business in 1984. This
is very usual this time of year,” he said, accusing the cosmetics industry of
driving tanning bed warnings in order to boost sales of sun protection products.
Although Riess said he plans to continue going to tanning salons, he won’t let his teenage daughters go.
Why?
‘The same reason I won’t let them drink, smoke cigars, ride motorcycles or do many of the other things I do as a grown up,” he said.
What do you think? Would you use a tanning bed?
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Gail writes about business, health and wine for the Post-Dispatch. She joined the P-D in 2005 after moving from NYC where she covered federal courts and wrote about food and wine. In her free time, Gail lifts weights, and of course, wine glasses. 
I have a teenage daughter (18) and three teenage nieces (17, 18, 19) Of the four, my daughter has never tanned. The nieces have done so, excessively. one of them was going EVERY DAY for a while. Already you can see skin damage on two of them. Leathery looking skin, very dry, lines at the corners of their eyes.
My daughter is fair-complexioned but gets some sun by being outdoors, running, swimming. Her skin looks remarkably healthy and fresh. But it doesn’t matter how many studies, news reports, photos and blogs you send them — they still sound like that doofus lawyer who thinks it’s cool to be tan. Whatever…
What a crock! Dermatologists (six different ones over 20 years) have been putting me in light booths on a weekly basis to treat my psoriasis and they’re going to tell us not to use tanning beds? At least the tanning beds only use UVA rays, the MDs booths use both UVA and UVB and burn your skin quickly. I have very fair skin and get burnt very easily so before I go to a beach I tan for at least 2 weeks before I go to get a base tan so I don’t get cooked in the sun. Oh yeah and at the age of 49 I have not had any skin cancer.
I’ve never used a tanning bed, but from what I came across on the internet (researching this) I think if I were a woman I’d be more concerned about that little lens down there at my feet.
First they say we are vitamin D deficient in Canada because of the lack of exposure we receive in the winter from the sun… seasonal depression, skin disorders such as psoriasis, are just some of the health issues that Dr. use tanning beds as a prescription to alleviate there symptoms.
” what causes SAD is still somewhat of a mystery however, one common denominator is deprivation of light in all forms”.
I believe that anything over done is not good for you. and if you remember clearly that ” cell phone ” your using causes cancer as well”
why do we put everything under the microscope……..instead of funding the research on what causes cancer how about a cure!!!!
As a child, I was outside every day in the summer, swimming, getting sun without protection. I’m 65, so you know there were no warnings that many years ago. We layed in the sun, got very tan, peeled a lot, and went right back out there. In later years, 40 yrs. +, I started going to tanning beds and still do. Not excessively, but several times a week. I don’t use sunscreens when I go outside. I am a walking risk taker for skin cancer. But the reality is I do NOT have leathery skin, or many wrinkles, or any of the health problems we are warned about. Genes, diet, skin care and overall health are big factors in the quality of your skin, especially your face. Luckily, I inherited good skin, drink lots of water and eat lots of fruits and veggies. If I get skin cancer, you can say you told me so, but don’t cast too much blame on tanning beds for skin problems. There are so many other factors to take into account.
And to Ill. reader - - if your nieces are already showing poor skin quality, I’m betting it’s not just from tanning beds. Everyone has to take proper care of their skin, tanned or not. There are thousands of women young and old with tans who still have lovely skin. Sorry, but it’s a fact. Look around.
I am 54 and recently had some precancer spots froze off of my forehead. I was a sun worshipor as a teen. The more hours laying out(surrounded by an aluminum box contraption to help not miss a single ray)the better. Slathered in iodine and baby oil (to even better attract those browning sun rays) I buckled down on a towel in the yard, or better yet, on the roof, for hours. I now see the premature wrinkles and discoloring of my skin. I make regular trips to the skin doctor holding my breath with every visit. Each time a new sun “gift” is discovered and froze off. Now that I have you attention, any boomers out there postponing their colonoscopy? I had my first one today. After cancelling numerous appointments out of fear and anxiety, I finally bit the bullet and forced myself through. Let me tell you, there is absolutely NOTHING to fear. It was easeier than getting a cavity filled! Yes, the prep the night before sucks. The liquid stool mover tastes like crap and there are many trips to the lew, but it’s really no big deal. Better yet, the colonoscopy itself is a breeze. I was in an out within one and a half hours. Only in the actual screening room for about 30 minutes, and asleep throughout the entire procedure. I woke up in a recovery room, offered soda and chocolate and sent on my way. What a relief! Please make an appointment and stick to it. The peace of mind is worth a night in the bathroom and a good nap!NO worries!
I am 43 years old and I have used tanning salons since I was 19 years old. I tan in the summer, and I ease into it without burning. I use good sense. I think that the reports about tanning salons causing cancer is a bunch’o'hooey. I’m fine and so are all the people I have ever known who used tanning salons. There is no way to know if these people didn’t get bad sunburns when they were kids and that’s what caused their cancers later in life. Also, heredity, lifestyle, and diet has been shown to all play a part in whether a person will develop cancer. How much red meat did they eat as a child? Did they take vitamins? Is there a history of cancer in their family?
I am a fish eating organic vegetarian, I take supplements, I eat a high protein diet with virtually no intake of simple sugars. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I don’t live in a polluted city. I believe whole-heartedly that I will not get skin cancer. I will not stop going to tanning salons, and I will continue to say “thank you” when people tell me what a beautiful tan I have.