By Ellen Cornelius, IWU student, and Becky Powell, MS, RN, AOCN, Health Educator at the Community Cancer Center
Despite the serious risks of skin cancer, indoor tanning remains popular. The average American city contains a whopping 42 indoor tanning facilities — more than the combined total of its Starbucks and McDonalds! Indoor tanning is especially prevalent among high school and college-aged Caucasian females — about a third of this demographic reported indoor tanning use with an average of 28 sessions per year. Their main motivation for going? To achieve an “attractive” tan. However, a brief glimpse at history reveals that having tan skin is neither a universal nor timeless mark of beauty.
During the Industrial Revolution, workers moved indoors from the fields, and tan skin ceased to indicate lower class status. Coco Chanel is infamously credited with popularizing tanning in the 1920s after she was “accidentally” bronzed on vacation. Tans began to be associated with leisure and wealth as more people could afford tropical vacations. In 1959, Coppertone sunscreen ran its well-known “Don’t be a pale face” ad. Soon, having a winter tan became a novel trend and was possible with the introduction of indoor tanning devices in the 1970s. Now, over one million Americans frequent indoor tanning salons daily.
Tan skin continues to be fashionable. From Pippa Middleton to Mitt Romney, celebrities perpetrate an unhealthy culture of bronze. This tan standard of beauty is dangerous. If it persists, the skin cancer epidemic will continue to swell. However, like every other fashion that has come and gone, tan skin can fade out of style if we simply change our way of thinking.
Skin Cancer is Epidemic
Research suggests that many skin cancer cases seen today could have been avoided if the individual never utilized indoor tanning. Between 1970 and 2009, there was a 400 percent and 800 percent increase in incidence of melanoma (the deadliest type of skin cancer) in men and women respectively. Nearly 10,000 people died of melanoma in 2013: that’s one death every hour. Most alarmingly, melanoma is becoming a young person’s disease. It is the most common cancer among ages 25-29 and the second most among ages 15-24. This rise in skin cancer shows no sign of receding, as skin cancer of all types continues to rank as the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States.
Myths of Indoor Tanning Abound
Messages about serious health risks of indoor tanning are overshadowed by our beauty-obsessed society. Four common myths perpetrated by pop culture, tanning salons, and the Indoor Tanning Association are listed below:
Myth: Indoor tanning is safe in moderation.
Fact: People who first use a tanning bed before age 35 increase their risk for melanoma by 75 percent, regardless of their skin type. Additionally, just one indoor tanning session increases users’ risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma by 67 percent and basal cell carcinoma by 29 percent, two other forms of skin cancer. Dermatologists everywhere warn: There is no such thing as a safe tan.
Myth: Indoor tanning is not as dangerous to your health as other behaviors like smoking.
Fact: The International Agency for Research on Cancer includes indoor tanning devices in Group 1, a list of the most dangerous cancer-causing substances, which also includes plutonium and cigarettes. A recent American Medical Association study reported that there are more skin cancer cases due to indoor tanning than lung cancer cases due to smoking.
Myth: Indoor tanning provides a “pre-vacation” tan to prevent burning.
Fact: A tan provides only as much protection from the sun as SPF 4 sunscreen. A tan is evidence of skin damage, including DNA mutation.
Myth: Indoor tanning has benefits including increased vitamin D production.
Fact: Skin exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet radiation does stimulate vitamin D production; however, research suggests that using tanning beds to accomplish this is not effective. And since ultraviolet radiation from indoor tanning beds is as much as 12 times stronger than the midday sun, there are safer ways to obtain the healthy amount of vitamin D, such as through dietary supplements.
What We Can Do
Educate yourself about the nationwide campaigns to change the tanning culture. The Skin Cancer Foundation’s “Go With Your Own Glow” encourages women to love and protect their skin, whatever its natural hue. Popular magazines like Cosmopolitan have also denounced tanning as dangerous and unfashionable. These campaigns are working: Illinois passed a law banning under 18-year-olds from indoor tanning salons and has been in effect since January 1, 2014.
For questions or more information, contact the Community Cancer Center at 309-451-8500 or www.cancercenter.org.
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