Fake bake can leave you burned

The evidence is in: tanning sessions may not be a safe alternative to the sun

By: Lanny Boutin

  You've seen the ads: "Safe UV-A body tanning, protects the skin from sunburns" with "fewer risks to the skin than outdoor tanning because of the absence of UV-C rays."
  Each year, 25 million Americans buy 300 million tanning sessions, making indoor tanning a $4 billion a year business in the US alone. A recent Quebec phone survey found 20 percent of participants had been to a tanning salon in the last five years, 11 percent in the last 12 months.
  For twenty dollars, is 200 minutes under a tanning lamp really a safe alternative to the sun?
 

They now know the UV-A rays used in most modern tanning lamps also cause skin damage

  "No," says Dr. Nowell Solish, co-director of the Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Clinic at Sunny Brook and Women's Health Science Centre in Toronto. We all know burns are dangerous, but Solish stresses tans are too. "When you tan you're damaging your DNA, and forcing your body to create a dark pigment layer to stop the damage."
  Doctors once believed UV-B rays, the most prevalent burning rays in sunlight, and UV-C rays, which don't penetrate our ozone, caused the damage. But they now know that UV-A rays used in most modern tanning lamps also cause skin damage.
 

"We know that if you're exposing yourself to ultraviolet radiation you're exposing yourself to a known carcinogen."

  According to Dr. Martin Weinstock, Professor of Dermatology at Brown University, there isn't enough evidence to prove tanning booths cause melanoma. "Tanning booths are relatively new, ten years or so, and it takes 15 or more years for melanoma to develop." Also Chairman of the Skin Cancer Advisory Group of the American Cancer Association, Weinstock says "We know that if you're exposing yourself to ultraviolet radiation you're exposing yourself to a known carcinogen."
  So before heading off on your next well-deserved vacation should you stop off at the tanning salon for a base tan first? "No," says The Counsel on Scientific Affairs. They recommend you avoid artificial tanning devices altogether.
  But we know millions of people are not listening. So if you do go:

• Ask the staff if they're trained to analyze your skin type.

• Set up realistic tanning schedules.

• Always wear eye protection. UV rays can permanently damage your eyes.

• Have the staff time you in case your timer fails or you fall asleep.

• And remember the perfect tan may just be no tan at all.

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