The more often you tan indoor the higher the risk of melanoma
(Mirror Daily, United States) – A new case-study shows that indoor tanning may cause melanoma to young women after finding that most women suffering from the disease used to tan indoors.
We have been several times in the past advised against indoor tanning as scientist suggested it could have a negative impact on our skin. Exposing yourself to UVs can be dangerous even in natural light, which is why you always have to protect yourself with lotions and to make sure you’re sunbathing at appropriate hours.
But since you can’t always go to the beach, especially in the winter, many women opt for the indoor tanning alternative to keep their skin pretty and tanned. Unfortunately, this also makes their skin sick. From the women participating in the study, 63 were quite young. 61 of them had a history of getting a tan indoors.
It seems that indoor tanning increases the chances of developing melanoma among women aged 30 to 49 by two to six times. Given the findings, the team of researchers that conducted the study is pushing to restrict access to indoor tanning facilities for minors. Since indoor tanning has become somewhat of a trend, it was only natural that teenagers would rapidly pick it up, hence increasing their risk of developing skin cancer early on in life. Consequently, the FDA has proposed a ban on the use of indoor tanning for people under 18.
Although, as I said, there have been some suggestions as to what disadvantages indoor tanning can bring us, this is the first study which manages to bring forward such conclusive evidence, linking indoor tanning to a great increase in melanoma.
The scientists have looked into the relationship between indoor tanning and melanoma, when tanning started and how frequent it was. Apparently, women younger than 40 started indoor tanning at a younger age than women over 40 and had had more sessions of indoor tanning.
The data found about men diagnosed with melanoma in relation to indoor tanning has been inconclusive as their use of this alternative is a lot lower than women’s.
All in all, it has become clear that indoor tanning is harmful, increasing the risk of developing skin cancer especially among younger women. Hopefully, more regulations will start being implemented and young women will get discouraged to further use indoor tanning.
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