Although the sun struggled to shine through cloudy skies over Eugene Tuesday, University freshman Gloria Kim said she wants to get that perfect tan.
“I personally think I look healthier with a tan,” she said. “I don’t want the orange look, but I don’t really like the pale sickly look either.”
Kim said she typically “relaxes” in a tanning bed no more than 30 minutes twice a week, or tans outside during the summer months.
She’s one of 28 million people around the United States who tan indoors at one of the country’s 25,000 indoor tanning salons each year, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.
A recent report published last month in the International Journal of Cancer warns that ultraviolet light emitted from tanning beds may cause the most serious type of cancer. People who are exposed to a tanning bed before the age of 35 are especially at risk, researchers found, and they have recommended restricting access to tanning beds. One local tanning salon owner said that tanners report benefits from tanning and said salon owners can take precautions to be safe.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer recently concluded that use of tanning beds before age 35 increases the risk of developing melanoma, the most deadly type of skin cancer. The group examined studies completed before March 2006 to investigate the relationship between tanning bed use and skin cancer.
University Health Center physician Tim Van Ert said ultraviolet rays have long been associated with the less-serious squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma cancers, but said that the melanoma findings are relatively new.
Signs of cancer brought on from ultraviolet rays are difficult to spot and don’t show up right after tanning, Van Ert said. The only immediate effect may be a sunburn.
“You don’t tan today and see the (cancerous) results tomorrow,” he said. “There’s no question that people will have more problems with their skin if they tan rather than if they didn’t at all.” He added that people might become aware of the cancer years after ultraviolet exposure.
Van Ert said ultraviolet rays can also cause premature aging in the form of wrinkly skin.
Advocates say there may be benefits from tanning other than looking and feeling attractive. Ryan Tucker, owner of Eugene’s Sunsational Tanning Salon, said some of his 13,000 clients tan for acne, vitamin D enrichment and seasonal affective disorder .
He pointed to findings from Michael Holick, a professor of dermatology, biophysics and physiology at Boston University and author of “The UV Advantage.” Holick once told The New York Times that 36 percent of young adults in the Boston area, ages 18 to 29, had insufficient levels of vitamin D at the end of winter.
Vitamin D prevents osteoporosis, kidney failure and psoriasis, according to Holick’s findings.
Tucker wouldn’t say if tanning is effective for acne, vitamin D enrichment and SAD but said insurance companies have covered client costs for such purposes.
“We can’t say, ‘Yes it will work,’” Tucker said. “We can say, ‘Talk to your doctor,’ and, ‘Other clients have seen positive effects.’”
Van Ert said that people do see less acne in the summer months, but said potential tanners should use safer treatments, including over-the-counter medicines.
Martin Weinstock, an expert on the IARC panel group, said that treatment for SAD will typically include exposure to “visual light” and not ultraviolet light.
“There’s a lot about that disorder that’s not clear,” he said. “That’s our understanding right now. That’s not an established fact.”
The IARC researchers recommended that public health officials consider restricting tanning salon access for people under age 18, said Weinstock, professor of dermatology and community health at Brown University.
“Obviously the world doesn’t change on your 18th birthday, but that’s usually the standard demarcating childhood to adulthood,” he said. Weinstock added that an age limit would allow for “mature judgment.” He said that signs in salons warning of possible skin cancer would also help.
Kim said younger girls may be more susceptible to tanning and that age restrictions could help.
“Society really says that a tan is the key to being beautiful,” she said. “A lot of girls buy into that, especially younger ones. They can go overboard on that.”
Tucker said that a restriction would hurt his business, but said his average customer is about 37 years old. He said young people shouldn’t be restricted and the tanning salon industry should instead be more heavily regulated.
“This is not the beauty industry,” Tucker said. “This is the health industry. If you’re messing with someone’s skin, you better know what you’re doing.”
He said his staff completes training with Smart Tan Training and the Suntanning Association for Education, both of which hold seminars in Oregon each year.
“The responsibility falls on us,” Tucker said. “We’ve got to know how to handle things.”
State law requires tanning bed users to wear goggles, and Tucker said his staff will sometimes ask a customer to stop tanning after excessive use.
“We don’t need people in here looking like a briefcase,” he said.
An age restriction could also have a negative effect, Tucker said. Young people may be forced to tan outside for “hours on end” if an age restriction is in place.
Weinstock said it’s difficult to compare tanning under the sun to a tanning bed because, while both emit ultraviolet rays, they emit different mixtures of energies and wavelengths. He also said it’s difficult to compare the two because the effects depend on the length of exposure to ultraviolet rays.
“Getting a tiny bit is less risky compared to getting multiple, intense exposures,” Weinstock said. “The more intense, the more risky.”
He didn’t offer any specific guidelines, but said students should avoid tanning beds if possible.
“If you’re interested in protecting yourself, you have no business being in a tanning bed,” he said.
Tanning bed users should look for new, changing lesions or spots on the skin, and if any appear they should see a doctor immediately, Weinstock said.
“In teenagers, it’s not uncommon to have moles change because they’re still growing,” he said. “But when you’re talking about college-age and post-college years – 20s, 30s and beyond – moles should be pretty stable,” Weinstock said.
When outside, Weinstock said to always wear sunscreen.
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TANNING BEDS
The Good: A local tanning salon owner says that clients have reported benefits that include vitamin D enrichment and treatment for acne and Seasonal Affective Disorder.
The Bad: Researchers recently reported that men and women who have ever used a tanning bed were 15 percent more likely to develop melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer. A review of seven studies by an international research group found that exposure to tanning beds before age 35 boosted melanoma risk by 75 percent.
SUN TIPS
? Always wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor of 15 or more, which will block Ultraviolet A and Ultraviolet B rays when outdoors.
? Seek immediate medical attention if you receive skin or eye damage from the sun or if you experience an allergic reaction to the sun.
? See your dermatologist or personal physician if you develop an unusual mole, scaly patch or a sore that doesn’t heal.
Source: Federal Drug Administration