Periodically, popular health magazines choose to feature stories with titles like, “The Truth About Sunbeds!” Or, “Sunbed Myths … Busted!” Several came up on my radar this past summer, so here’s a glimpse of a few, and my reactions to the claims.
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1.) You Need a Base Tan to Avoid Getting Sunburn. “Plenty of people think they need to get a base tan to avoid getting a sunburn on vacation, but this is a mistake,” states an internet post by Dr. Madeliene Gainers of Anne Arundel Dermatology in Florida. Unfortunately, her post does NOT inform readers how to avoid sunburn – just the point to avoid getting a base tan. Well, if you are going to the beach, lake or other potentially sunny locale, you will be exposed to UV. If your skin is pale white after a season or two without UV, you will absolutely be in line for a sunburn – unless, of course, you lather up with the proper amount of SPF product, don’t miss any area of skin and of course, re-apply the SPF throughout the day, every day. Pretty tough to do, and most of us won’t be in 100% compliance. Or, you could obtain a base tan in moderation via sunbed sessions in a professional facility. Perhaps what these derms want to see us do is … just stay out of the sun!
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2.) Only UVB Rays are Harmful. There has been an old adage: “UVA is the tanning ray, UVB is the burning ray” – which leads to the health mags’ erroneous supposition that because tanning beds rely more on UVA rays to provide a cosmetic tan, they’re safer than tanning outdoors. “But these rays can actually be more damaging to skin DNA, especially with prolonged exposure. And that damage can ultimately lead to skin cancer. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, ten or more uses of a tanning bed will increase the risk of melanoma by 34 percent,” Dr. Gainers said. “And people who use a tanning bed before the age of 35 increase their risk by 75 percent. In the United States, 6,200 cases of melanoma each year are linked to indoor tanning.”
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Well, there’s a few items to address here. The 34% and 75% increased risk figures get thrown around a lot by anti-tanning folks. So, if I use a tanning bed ONCE before I’m 35, my risk increases by 75%? It doesn’t matter how long the session (two minutes)? Doesn’t outdoor exposure matter? What if I suffer sunburn every summer between ages 18 and 35? Wouldn’t that increase my risk for skin cancer? It would – but seldom, if ever will you see that analysis. As for UVA vs UVB, remember that sunbeds employ sunlamps designed to emit a precise, minimal amount of UVB to stimulate the melanocytes in our skin. Once stimulated, they rise to the skin’s surface where UVA oxidizes them and they turn brown – hence, a tan. The UV emissions of the sun have no such control.
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3.) There is a Movement to Ban Tanning Entirely in the U.S. Well, I had to dig around to find info on this one. The only “movement” that I could find was an opinion piece from the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Law written five years ago. It stated: “laws banning sunbeds can minimize if not end, a dangerous, carcinogenic practice and this could also put an end to norms around the desirability of a tan.” Really? If sunbeds are banned, no one will want to be tan? Uh, that’s doubtful. Ban sunbeds, and the unintended consequence of people seeking a tan entirely in natural sunlight would rise dramatically, as would the resulting risk of sunburn and overexposure.
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Indoor tanning provides a controlled environment in which to obtain a cosmetic tan, with sessions delivered according to skin type and a timing system that minimizes risk of sunburn and overexposure. And that’s no myth!
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As for UVA vs UVB, remember that sunbeds employ sunlamps designed to emit a precise, minimal amount of UVB to stimulate the melanocytes in our skin.
