Tanning Beds....The Sun is Setting

Dan Frith
Dan Frith
Contributor
Posted by Dan FrithJuly 29, 2009 5:02 PM

The news is disturbing. I knew in my heart that tanning beds couldn't be good for your skin but the conclusions reached in a recent international study are alarming.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) had previously classified sunbeds as being a "probable" cause of cancer. However, the agency is now recommending that tanning machines should be moved to "the highest cancer risk category" and be labeled as "carcinogenic to humans".

In an article in medical journal The Lancet, oncology expert Dr. Fatiha El Ghissassi wrote: "The use of UV-emitting tanning devices is widespread in many developed countries, especially among young women. The article concluded the risk of skin melanoma is increased by 75 percent when use of tanning devices starts before 30 years of age. In addition, studies provide consistent evidence of a positive association between the use of UV-emitting tanning devices and ocular melanoma.

Melanoma is the second most common cancer in women aged 20 - 29.5, according to the America Melanoma Foundation.

My Take: It took way too long to restrict the use of cigarettes...lets not wait so long in limiting who may use tanning beds and under what limitations. I recently saw a local teenager with a tan that had to come from too frequent visits to a tanning bed...she may not know it but she is putting her life at risk.

2 Comments

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LDG
Posted by LDG
July 29, 2009 8:20 PM

how often and for how long would allow yourself of your child to spend on that Long Island NY or Bermuda beach?

Not too long before you got thoughts of burning and skin cancer.

If this is the case why do indoor tanning and sunbed salons encourage unlimited monthly UV exposure packages to their clientele?

I would say its profit driven.

If you owned a tanning salon would you REALLY encourage your clients to only come 20x a year at $15 a session? That would be $300 in revenue for you per client and if you wanted a $300,000 revenue stream, the goal for most salons and thats conservative, you would need 1,000 steady clients.

With the utter saturation of indoor salons in the USA, approx. 28,000 with an additional 50,000 gyms and nail/hair salons offering a sunbed or two, thats 1,560 indoor tanning salons per state.

The reality is that mot salons have a steady client base of avid tanners of about 250 people. Using my math above that translates to $75,000 in revenue. It costs the average salon with 6 to 8 units about $6,000 per month to operate. They would have no profit. So instead they encourage the tanners to keep buying monthly packages and visit the sunbed more like 100 times per year and at $15 a pop 250 steady tanners you now have your $300,000 in revenue and your making a hell of a profit.

The bottom line is business and not true health concern for the general public. The ITA and Euro associations will continue to accuse the medical world of using “junk science” instead of truly acknowledging the fact that the sunbed operator is in it for the profit. If a few people have to die along the way so be it. That sure sounds like the tobacco mindset to me.

Hair Salons Vista CA
Posted by Hair Salons Vista CA
July 31, 2009 3:41 AM

We don't offer tanning services but I don't see anything wrong with it. Personally I use a tanning bed before summer to get ready for the beach.

Jaime Nicole Salon and Spa
Hair Salons in Vista California

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