Is There Any Such Thing as Safe Tanning?

As temperatures around Northern Virginia heat up and schools begin to let out for the summer, thoughts turn to...swimsuits, hanging out at the pool and the almighty quest for the perfect tan. Many teenagers, especially this time of year, visit tanning salons to get a "healthy glow" going.

There are plenty of tanning salons in our area: Solar Planet, Palm Beach Tan, Hollywood Tans, Goldzone Tanning Spa, Fit to Be Tan, Alexandria Tanning Salon, Goldzone Tanning Spa...the list goes on and on.

In Virginia, tanning salons must, every six months, obtain the signature of the parent or legal guardian of a prospective customer who is under the age of 15 and is not emancipated under Virginia law. To read the complete law: http://www.vdh.state.va.us/epidemiology/radiologicalhealth/tanning/law.htm

But how healthy is that golden glow?

According to the American Academy of Dermatology, more than 1 million people tan in tanning salons on an average day, nearly 70 percent of them girls and women aged 16 to 29. The Food and Drug Administration estimates that 35 percent of 17-year-old girls use "tanning machines."

Before allowing your child to go down that path, hear what some experts have to say about the safety of tanning:

Tanning Devices: Highest Cancer Risk Category

In July 2009, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) elevated tanning devices to its highest cancer risk category – "carcinogenic to humans."

The study, funded by the National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society, was designed to help answer more definitively whether tanning bed use is linked to skin cancer.

“We found that it didn’t matter the type of tanning device used; there was no safe tanning device,” said author DeAnn Lazovich, PhD, professor of epidemiology, University of Minnesota. “We also found – and this is new data – that the risk of getting melanoma is associated more with how much a person tans and not the age at which a person starts using tanning devices. Risk rises with frequency of use, regardless of age, gender, or device.”

Tanning Industry: Moderation Is Key

However, the tanning industry refutes that tanning is dangerous, instead saying that tanning is safe if done in small increments and that it helps build up Vitamin D deficiencies in the body, according to Tanning Truth, which can be found as a link on the Palm Beach Tan Web site.

Spray Tans

Most consider getting a "spray tan" to be a safe alternative to either lying in the sun or getting tan in a tanning bed.

According to the Food and Drug Administration, "sunless tanning" delivers a faux glow by coating your skin with the chemical dihydroxyacetone (DHA). DHA interacts with the dead surface cells in the epidermis to darken skin color and simulate a tan, and the result usually lasts for several days.

While the FDA allows DHA to be "externally applied" for skin coloring, there are restrictions on its use. DHA should not be inhaled, ingested, or exposed to areas covered by mucous membranes including the lips, nose, and areas in and around the eye (from the top of the cheek to above the eyebrow) because the risks, if any, are unknown.

Some states are taking action, and trying to ban teenagers from visiting tanning salons. The Indoor Tanning Association keeps track of proposed legislation on its Web site. Although 22 states are listed as attempting to pass legislation to ban indoor tanning in some form, Virginia is not on that list.

In New York earlier this week, state and local lawmakers gathered with officials from the American Cancer Society to publicize a bill before the state legislature that would make it illegal for anyone under 18 to visit a tanning salon. If it passes, New York will be the first state to ban indoor tanning for youths under 18.

What do you think? Should teens be banned from tanning salons? Do you allow your teen to use a tanning bed or get a spray tan at a tanning salon?  Tell us what you think in the Comments following this story.