Do Tanning Beds Cause Skin Cancer and Other Harmful Effects?
this article was originally published by Vanderbilt University’s Psychology Department – Elizabeth Carruth
What is UV radiation?
Before one can discuss harmful effects of tanning equipment and increased sun exposure, one must be familiar with the components of ultraviolet light and how affects the skin. Sunlight contains two types of ultraviolet (UV) light: UVA and UVB. UVA rays consist of longer wavelengths that penetrate deep into the dermal layer of skin. Limited exposure to UVA rays causes skin to tan; however, most experts agree that overexposure to UVA can lead to other long-term skin damage. UVB rays wavelengths are much shorter, affecting the outermost layers of skin. UVB rays are known as the “burning rays” and are considered more dangerous. Tanning beds and sun lamps generally emit 93% to 99% UVA radiation increasing the benefits of a tan This is three times the UVA radiation given off by the sun.
Whats the difference between a tan and sunburn?
It is also important to know what happens to the skin as it is tanned or burned and what the long-term, harmful effects may be. UVB rays are most responsible for a skins burning. The rays actually pop the capillaries just beneath the surface of the skin . Long-wavelength, UVA rays have totally different results on the skin. As UVA rays penetrate into the skin, melanin granules are oxidized and tan, or, turn golden brown. However, UVB rays are required to stimulate these melanin granules to rise to the skins surface, especially in skin that possesses small amounts of the pigment, melanin.
What makes tanning beds safer?
Most tanning bed industries agree that indoor tanning is much safer than receiving outdoor exposure to the sun. Light emitted from tanning equipment contains approximately 40% less UVB rays, the most harmful type of radiation, than does light from the sun. Tanning beds, therefore, have the power to control exposure time and the ratio of UVA to UVB rays for a “perfect balance” . Since tanning beds filter out most of the burning UVB rays, chances of getting burned decrease dramatically. Therefore, the companies can claim that the tanning beds cannot be any more harmful than the sun.
Tanning salons also state that some UV radiation is needed for the manufacturing of vitamin D. Vitamin D certifies that a constant level of calcium remains in the blood and controls its absorption. In an advertisement for tanning equipment, one tanning bed company, The Beach House Tanning, claims that the sun is the only source of Vitamin D. However, vitamin D is also found in foods such as dairy products, cereal, and fish, and it takes far less UV radiation to obtain the necessary amount of vitamin D than it does to get a suntan.
In addition, tanning industries claim that UVA radiation has no harmful effects on the skin. They say that only UVB radiation can harm the outermost layer of the skin. Since UVA rays penetrate deep into the skin, then they say that tanning beds cannot cause any type of premature aging, burn the skin, or thicken the skin, revealing a leathery type appearance.
In fact, The Beach House Tanning states that it isn’t safe not to tan. They report that avoiding the sun highly increases the risks for many cancers including skin cancer and that most studies prove that people who are not exposed to the sun on a regular basis have a greater chance of acquiring some forms of cancer. One study that was conducted showed that malignant melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, is actually more common in people who do not receive regular sun exposure and develops on areas that are not usually exposed to the sun. Also, some sun exposure abates or retards the development of b****t, colon, prostate, and ovarian cancers (http://www.beachouse.com/tanning_benefits.htm). Actually, many studies have shown that heredity and repeated sunburn, which are not caused by tanning beds, are the most prominent factors for skin cancer. Since tanning is, “your body’s natural defense against sunburn,” as stated by Beach House, and since, “tanning beds are a responsible way to get a base tan,” as claimed by Raley’s Eurotan, then it is safe to say that tanning beds are a reliable source of UV exposure.
What are the harmful effects of tanning beds?
Nearly every single article that was researched concluded that indoor tanning is directly linked to skin cancer, specifically malignant melanoma, and other numerous health problems. Although tanning industries claim that UVA radiation is safe, medical research disproves this theory. Researchers say that because UVA rays penetrate deep into the skin, they destroy skin fibers and damage elasticity. Long-term effects of UVA rays include premature aging and wrinkles. Scientists agree that UVA rays are less likely to cause burns, but that they are still linked to malignant melanoma, damage to the immune system, weakening of the skin’s inner tissue, and other types of skin cancers. In fact, studies show that large doses of UVA lead to an increased risk of developing skin cancer. From his research, Dr. David Sidransky concluded that UVA radiation causes the same damage as UVB radiation to skin cells which leading to cancer. In cases where exposure to light was increased, it was more likely that the damage would exceed the constructive, cellular-repair mechanisms, and a tumor would be more likely to develop.
A study conducted in Sweden helps to prove that tanning beds are a major factor in the development of malignant melanoma. Different people, all under the age of 30, were included in the study. The data concluded that the people who used tanning beds more than 10 times a year were seven times more likely to develop malignant melanoma than those who did not use tanning beds as often. Researchers estimated that by the year 2000, the risk of developing skin cancer for those who did not use tanning beds would be one out of every 97 persons, and that the chances for those who did use tanning beds would be one out of every 13 persons. The study also concluded that melanoma risks are increased by 300% for those using tanning beds occasionally, and that the risks increase by 800% for those who use tanning beds more than 10 times a year.
Dr. Douglas Reintgen believed that as long as tanning devices were not used in excess and the customer avoided burns, then the equipment could be considered safe. However, it has been proven that tanning beds do cause sunburns, and are, therefore, dangerous. Physicians of the Geisinger Health System report that one sunburn doubles the risk of developing skin cancer.
Tanning is also skin damage. Although skin cancer has been associated with UVB radiation and sunburns, scientists say that even tanning in moderation produces the same harmful effects, as would a burn. Tanning causes premature aging, causing the skin to appear leathery and wrinkled, and also damages the immune system (http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/tanning/html). Other sources reveal that tanning always damages the skin. Plastic surgeon Dr. Dean Johnson who treats skin cancer patients in 25% of his surgeries, declares, “There is no safe tan”.
A number of various authorities warn the public of the dangers of tanning devices. Dermatologists believe that tanning beds are a leading factor in skin cancer cases (http://www.ivanhoe.com/docs/backissues/tanningbedcancer.html). The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lists tanning beds as possible health hazards, and the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) encourage people to avoid using tanning and sun lamps (http://www.fda.gov). Even the American Medical Association (ADA) and the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) are fighting to ban the use of tanning equipment for non-medical purposes.
Both types of UV radiation can cause damage to blood vessels, photosensitivity (allergic) reactions, or even eye damage. According to the CDC, tanning beds create problems in the eyes such as conjunctivitis and corneal infections. Ultraviolet rays can cause serious damage to the cornea and retina.
What are people’s motives for tanning?
Why do people desire a tan? In general, most people are concerned about their appearance. It can be assumed that people desire to be considered beautiful by others and to have more pleasant features. The stereotypical good-looking person is usually a thin female or muscularly built male with nice, clean hair and bronze or tan skin. In recent years there has been a tremendous amount of pressure placed upon females, especially teenagers, to become what the media considers to be a beautiful person. All this explains why more white female teens are using tanning equipment with disregard to medical warnings.
Why won’t people listen?
Because of exposure to sun, tanning beds, and sun lamps, the number of skin cancer cases has increased dramatically. It has been predicted that this year, more than one million new skin cancer cases will be diagnosed. Also, malignant melanoma can be fatal if it is not detected early. This year in the United States, 38,000 cases and 7,300 deaths are being anticipated. So, why are people not complying with the warnings? Why are people not changing poor skin care treatment? Perhaps the public is not fully aware of the harmful effects of UV radiation. Rex Amonett, M.D., Dermatologist, stated that most of his skin cancer patients are over 50. He also reported that lately more teenagers have become victims, and that this was probably due to the fact that now more than 2.5 million people are using tanning bed equipment daily (mostly teens). So, what is a person’s motivation for tanning?
Which group is right?
Although benefits do exist from choosing to us tanning beds over bathing outdoors in the sun, tanning bed industries have failed to mention many important and harmful risk factors of tanning equipment. The long-term effects of UVA radiation far exceed the short-term, ephemeral benefits, and trust should be placed into the hands of scientists, researchers, and doctors.
What scientific research has been discovered on the effects of artificial tanning equipment?
Studies regulated by medical researchers consistently report a number of interesting facts about the relationships between artificial tanning equipment and skin cancers. Studies prove that exposure to UV radiation is a risk factor for cutaneous malignant melanoma.1, 2 One study reviewed that approximately 80% of the radiation emitted by tanning lamps is in the UV range, proving tanning beds to be carcinogenic,3 and another study of Caucasian women with melanoma reported that women who had a history of sunburns had an increased melanoma risk, even if they also tanned.4 The reports also concluded that combined exposure to sunlight and tanning beds resulted in increased risks for developing melanoma.
Study of the UV radiation emitted by tanning beds:
A Dermatology Department in the United Kingdom conducted a study examining DNA damage in human fibroblasts, cells that give rise to connective tissue, after they were exposed to artificial tanning lamps. During this experiment, a comet assay was performed in which cells UV-detecting cells were embedded into two different types of tanning beds to detect the amount of radiation emitted. The types of tanning equipment studied were 12 lamps of Philips TL80 W/10R (the Performance tanning bed) and five Philips TL80 W/10R lamps. The cells were placed in the tanning beds at a distance of about 35 centimeters from the lamps. In the Performance tanning bed, the UVA radiation was measured at 85-100W/m2, and the UVB radiation was found to be 16-19W/m2. For the TL80W/10R bed, the UVA and UVB radiation quantities were discovered to be 35-40W/m2 and 0.3-0.4W/m2 respectively. The radiation emitted by the sun was also measured using the same radiometers on a sunny day with the temperatures at about 25-24o C. The UVA radiation was 10-28W/m2, and the UVB radiation was measured at 4 9.5W/m2. Thus, the amount of UVA radiation, which penetrates deeper into the skin, was anywhere from about 3-8 times greater in the tanning beds than in the light from the sun. This amount depended on the type of tanning bed, but inevitably caused an increased in potential skin damage (Woollons, Clingen, Price, Arlett, & Green, 1997).
The harmful results caused by UVB radiation from tanning lamps were determined to include three types of damage to DNA. Cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) were induced, oxidized and hydrated pyrimidines were distorted, and breaks were found in the single-strands. The Performance sunbed was just as effective as sunlight for inducing CPDs. It was also discovered that the induction of these kinds of DNA damage occurred just before the development of skin tumors (Woollons, Clingen, Price, Arlett, & Green, 1997).
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