Beware Of That Indoor Tanning Glow

More than 3,000 people each year wind up in the hospital with an injury related to indoor tanning, according to a recent Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) report.

The JAMA report says injuries included skin burns and eye issues and one New York dermatologist says these findings just add to the reasons that people should just not do it.

“We have known that UV radiation is a carcinogen for some time, just like tobacco and asbestos are carcinogens,” says Katy Burris, MD, dermatologist with the North Shore-LIJ Health System. “We know that even a few exposures to a tanning bed increase one’s risk for skin cancer. However, this report actually draws attention to the more immediate adverse effects associated with tanning bed use, which will hopefully continue to discourage use.”

“Almost 80 percent of the injuries that were treated in emergency rooms that were associated with tanning bed use were related to severe burns. Severe burns can ultimately lead to permanent scarring or disfigurement.”

Dr. Burris adds that a person who has five or more blistering sunburns before they are 20 years old increase their risk of getting melanoma, a form of skin cancer, up to 80 percent.