Despite Warnings, Adults Using Indoor Tanning Beds Largely Undeterred

“I think these non-salon tanning locations have been under the radar as they have not generally been addressed in the research literature nor have recent policy initiatives to restrict indoor tanning access to minors seemed to specifically consider them”, Hillhouse told Reuters Health by email.

For Dr. Guy Jr., the 10 million adults who still use tanning beds are trading the temporary tan for an increased risk of skin cancer.

The Executive Director of Melanoma Research Foundation, Tim Turnham, said that it was the fashion and entertainment industries which promoted being tan as fashionable.

Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed data on almost 60,000 people who participated in the National Health Interview Survey.

In an adjusted analysis of women, indoor tanning frequency was 28% lower among women aged 50 years and older, 45% lower among college graduates, 33% lower among women in fair or poor health and 23% lower among women who met aerobic or strength criteria. Authors of the 2013 report revealed that among non-Hispanic white women ages 18 to 34 years, 24.9 percent visit indoor tanning salons, and 15.1 percent frequently use indoor tanning beds during the previous 12 months. The authors have suggested that the decrease in indoor tanning could be attributable to the increased awareness about the harms of indoor tanning, such as how the tanning devices could be carcinogenic to humans.

On the men’s side, rates were 177 percent higher among men in the 40 to 49 age range, and 71 percent higher in men over age 50. Now, fewer Americans have been using the service.

There was an overall decrease in indoor tanning noted.

There have been developing concerns about the link between indoor tanning and increased rates of skin cancer. Here’s the cold, hard truth: There are more cases of cancer due to indoor tanning than there are of lung cancer due to smoking, and the World Health Organization has classified tanning beds as a class-one carcinogen.

The study’s findings were published online on July 1 in the journal JAMA Dermatology. “That’s 10 million adults who are increasing their risk of skin cancer”. Additionally, research is needed to identify what strategies are most effective for creating social and physical environments that facilitate a reduction in indoor tanning.