What does the FDA think about tanning?

"Tanning Beds Face New Taxes and Restrictions". According to an article from USA TODAY by Liz Szabo, the increasing concern regarding the dangers and harm of indoor tanning has lead to action taken by the FDA. New taxes, and possibly new restrictions, are in the process of being created to curb the tanning craze among young people. A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel recently recommended that the agency should consider requiring teenagers to have parental consent in order to use the tanning bed, or, perhaps, ban the use of indoor tanning beds among teenagers. While tanning lamps are now classified as "Class I" medical devices (the same category as tongue depressors and elastic bandages), advisors are pushing for them to be modified to a Class II or Class III device.

Around 35 percent of 17-year-old girls use tanning beds, and people use people under 30 who use the tanning bed increase their risk of getting skin cancer by 75%. Will the FDA soon pass legislation regarding the use of tanning beds successfully? How will people across the country react to this controversial issue? My guess is that that habitual tanners will not be pleased, but we will just have to wait and see how things turn out.

Fact or Myth?

With many facts and myths about tanning circulating today, how are people supposed to be able to separate fact from fiction in order to make educated choices? What are some of the most common myths that people, over time, have come to believe to be true?

Myth #1: You can contract AIDS or herpes from the tanning. This is totally impossible and absurd.
Fact: The AIDS virus is transmitted only by bodily secretions. There should be almost no risk on a tanning bed. The possibility is "extremely remote". Moreover, the professional tanning salons are required to sanitize each bed after each use.

Myth #2: You can "fry"your internal organs if you tan excessively.
Fact: The reality is that something like this cannot possibly happen. The UV rays, if absorbed in an uncontrolled dose, can penetrate your skin but that's about as far as they can go in your body. Tanning could potentially lead to skin cancer, but there is absolutely no chance that your internal organs may get 'fried'.

Myth #3: Tanning before you go on vacation so you won't later burn, also known as the "base tan", is a safer way to expose yourself to the sun.
Fact: The theory behind this is a few sessions of indoor tanning will protect your skin from sunburn in a sunny climate. But, very little evidence supporting the validity of this theory exists. Tanning under the sun or a sunlamp gives protection that is equivalent to a sun protection factor (SPF) of 4 or less, which translates into a little extra time in the sun before you start to burn. But the larger issue is that any change in skin color is a sign of damage from ultraviolet (UV) radiation.

A journey into the tanning bed

This video shows how many people are not aware of how tanning beds specifically affect the body. Even though more than one million people in the United States alone are diagnosed with skin cancer each year, people ignore or are oblivious to the safety risks of tanning. Why do we ignore scientific knowledge and statistics that are right in front of our faces if our actions are going to have severe consequences? Why do we make excuses to justify the use of tanning beds? By hearing from these young adults interviewed in this video, we can understand how tanners view their decision-making process. America is all about self-presentation, first impressions, and appearance. Like some of the people interviewed in the video stated, many people go tanning because it helps their self-esteem. Appearing "bronze, healthy, and young", people continue to follow the popular trend of tanning for their image. But, do people who tan ever think about how they will look in thirty years because of what they are doing now? The irreversible damage and other possible consequences of their actions should be enough to make people think twice about tanning.

Is there such thing as a safe tanning bed?

Vitamin D is an essential part of health for all people, right? So, are tanning beds a safe way to get your healthy and recommended dose of vitamin D for the day? The answer is no. The key difference is the UVA rays and the UVB rays and the way these impact the body. The sun and tanning beds release these two types of light rays, but skin reacts to them in two completely different ways. Although both of these rays have harmful effects with excessive exposure, UVB rays also contribute to the creation of vitamin D in skin. Indoor tanning salons focus on the UVA rays because "overexposure to to UVB rays, which affect the surface layers of skin, quickly causes sunburn [while] UVA rays are responsible for the golden brown tan sought after". Most indoor tanning salons adjust their beds to emmit around 95 percent UVA rays. So, the safest way to get your vitamin D for the day is to make time to sit outside and get things done the old-fashioned way.

Pros and Cons of Tanning

According to an article by Jean Sanders, indoor tanning beds in salons today account for a $5 billion a year industry that just keeps on growing. The tanning industry continues to grow and expand as people continue to desire bronze and tanned bodies. But as people are attracted to and begin to follow the popular trend of tanning, do they ever consider both the cons and the pros of their decision? There are a few key arguments referring to the beneficial side of tanning. People of all ages can go tanning because it is inexpensive and convenient. How many tanning salons do you see while driving daily? My guess is quite a few. In addition, tanning makes you appear healthy and young. Conversely, there are many controversial and potentially dangerous effects of tanning. Tanning beds can "caus[e] burns, suppression of immune systems, damage to the cornea, cosmetic and drug-induced photo-sensitivity, and a higher risk of developing melanoma cancer". Also, there aren't any laws that govern the amount of use for indoor tanning. If a salon has rules, they created them themselves. Overall, people who are interested in tanning need to learn more about what they are exposing their body to in order to make a safe and educated choice.