Tanning salons and customers will face increased regulation later this year.
The new health care reform law includes a 10-percent tax on indoor tanning beds. The tax will take effect July 1.
The goal of the tax is to regulate tanning beds and combat skin cancer, the most common form of cancer in the United States, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.
Local tanning salon owners are in agreement that the tax will negatively affect their business.
“It will definitely increase prices. It’s not a positive thing for business,” Wolff Sun Center manager Mallory Dowman said. “Salons in Eugene and Springfield are locally owned and on a budget. A lot of salons probably won’t make it, and will have to shut down. It’s not positive for any tanning salons.”
Dark Side Tanning salon owner Shola Adeniji said some of his customers won’t mind how much it will cost.
“People will still use it. It’s not just for looking good,” he said, commenting on the rate of people who use tanning beds because they have psoriasis. Psoriasis is a common skin condition that causes redness and irritation.
People also use tanning beds to combat seasonal depression and increase their consumption of vitamin D, Dowman said.
“Tanning is voluntary. You come at your own will. The tax is not fair,” she said.
Health care specialists believe the tax has come at the right time and for the right reasons. Indoor tanning before age 35 increases a person’s risk of developing melanoma by 75 percent, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. Melanoma is the most dangerous form of skin cancer.
Melanoma causes 8,000 to 10,000 deaths a year die, Eugene dermatologist Eric G. Olson said.
“The people who are the most difficult to keep out of tanning beds are young women, because they think they look better when they tan,” Olson said.
Seventy-one percent of tanning salon patrons are females ages 16 to 29, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.
Local tanning salon owners say tanning beds are safer than tanning in the natural sunlight, but health experts say this simply is not true.
“No matter what owners of tanning beds say, the risk of cancer is increased,” Olson said. “There’s no question about it.”
Proponents of the tanning tax hope the FDA will consider regulating tanning beds by reclassifying UV lights and limiting who is allowed to tan.
The FDA is waiting on recommendations from an advisory committee before making any concrete decisions. The FDA can only regulate the product, not the salons, said Alan Bennett, FDA public affair specialist.
“The committee discusses and presents recommendations, then the FDA considers recommendations before making a decision. It’s not limited by those suggestions,” he said.
The UV lights used in tanning beds are currently under Class 1, which is the least restrictive classification. Elastic bandages, tongue depressors and examination gloves are all Class 1 appliances. Class 2 devices require labels and assurances that the devices will not cause harm. Devices in Class 2 are held to a higher level of assurance than Class 1 devices in that they will perform as indicated and will not cause injury or harm to a patient or user.
Skin care specialists recommend that people should not use tanning beds. When out in the sun, people should wear sunscreen and protective clothing, and use common sense.
“You don’t want to die with a nice tan,” Olson said.
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