Indoor tanning

Horizontal low-pressure tanning bed

Indoor tanning involves using a device that emits ultraviolet radiation to produce a cosmetic tan.[a] Typically found in tanning salons, gyms, spas, hotels, and sporting facilities, and less often in private residences, the most common device is a horizontal tanning bed, also known as a sunbed or solarium. Vertical devices are known as tanning booths or stand-up sunbeds.

First introduced in the 1960s, indoor tanning became popular with people in the Western world, particularly in Scandinavia, in the late 1970s.[2] The practice finds a cultural parallel in skin whitening in Asian countries, and both support multibillion-dollar industries.[3] Most indoor tanners are women, 16–25 years old, who want to improve their appearance or mood, acquire a pre-holiday tan, or treat a skin condition.[4]

Across Australia, Canada, Northern Europe and the United States, 18.2% of adults, 45.2% of university students, and 22% of adolescents had tanned indoors in the previous year, according to studies in 2007–2012.[b] As of 2010 the indoor-tanning industry employed 160,000 in the United States, where 10–30 million tanners[c] visit 25,000 indoor facilities annually.[2] In the United Kingdom, 5,350 tanning salons were in operation in 2009.[7] From 1997 several countries and US states banned under-18s from indoor tanning.[8] The commercial use of tanning beds was banned entirely in Brazil in 2009 and Australia in 2015.[9] As of 1 January 2017, thirteen U.S. states and one territory have banned under-18s from using them, and at least 42 states and the District of Columbia have imposed regulations, such as requiring parental consent.[10]

Indoor tanning is a source of UV radiation, which is known to cause skin cancer, including melanoma[11][12][13] and skin aging,[14] and is associated with sunburn, photodrug reactions, infections, weakening of the immune system, and damage to the eyes, including cataracts, photokeratitis (snow blindness) and eye cancer.[15][16][17] Injuries caused by tanning devices lead to over 3,000 emergency-room cases a year in the United States alone.[d] Physicians may use or recommend tanning devices to treat skin conditions such as psoriasis, but the World Health Organization does not recommend their use for cosmetic purposes.[19][20] The WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer includes tanning devices, along with ultraviolet radiation from the sun, in its list of group 1 carcinogens.[17] Researchers at the Yale School of Public Health found evidence of addiction to tanning in a 2017 paper.[21]

  1. ^ Lessin, Stuart R; Perlis, Clifford S.; Zook, and Matthew B. Zook (2012). "How Ultraviolet Radiation Tans Skin" in Carolyn J. Heckman, Sharon L. Manne (eds.), Shedding Light on Indoor Tanning. Dordrecht: Springer Science & Business Media, 93.
  2. ^ a b c Tanning lamps and beds, Medical Devices Advisory Committee, Food and Drug Administration, 2010, 1.
  3. ^ Hunt et al. (2012), 7–8.
  4. ^ Hay and Lipsky (2012), 181–184.
  5. ^ Mackenzie; Wehner, R.; Chren, Mary-Margaret; Nameth, Danielle (2014). "International Prevalence of Indoor Tanning: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis". JAMA Dermatology. 150 (4): 390–400. doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2013.6896. PMC 4117411. PMID 24477278.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Guy2015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference NumbersUK was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Pawlak, Mary T.; Bui, Melanie; Amir, Mahsa; et al. (2012). "Legislation Restricting Access to Indoor Tanning Throughout the World". JAMA Dermatology. 148 (9): 1006–1012. doi:10.1001/archdermatol.2012.2080. PMID 22801924.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Mulcahy20Jan2015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Legislatures, National Conference of State. "Indoor Tanning Restrictions for Minors | A State-By-State Comparison". www.ncsl.org. Retrieved 2017-05-01.
  11. ^ Wehner, Mackenzie R.; Chren, Mary-Margaret; Nameth, Danielle; Choudhry, Aditi; Gaskins, Matthew; Nead, Kevin T.; Boscardin, W. John; Linos, Eleni (April 2014). "International Prevalence of Indoor Tanning:A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis". JAMA Dermatology. 150 (4): 390–400. doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2013.6896. eISSN 2168-6084. ISSN 2168-6068. PMC 4117411. PMID 24477278.
  12. ^ Gilchrest, Barbara A.; Eller, Mark S.; Geller, Alan C.; Yaar, Mina (1999-04-29). "The Pathogenesis of Melanoma Induced by Ultraviolet Radiation". New England Journal of Medicine. 340 (17): 1341–1348. doi:10.1056/NEJM199904293401707. ISSN 0028-4793. PMID 10219070.
  13. ^ Atillasoy, E. S.; Seykora, J. T.; Soballe, P. W.; Elenitsas, R.; Nesbit, M.; Elder, D. E.; Montone, K. T.; Sauter, E.; Herlyn, M. (May 1998). "UVB induces atypical melanocytic lesions and melanoma in human skin". The American Journal of Pathology. 152 (5): 1179–1186. ISSN 0002-9440. PMC 1858575. PMID 9588887.
  14. ^ Bosch, Ricardo; Philips, Neena; Suárez-Pérez, Jorge A.; Juarranz, Angeles; Devmurari, Avani; Chalensouk-Khaosaat, Jovinna; González, Salvador (2015-03-26). "Mechanisms of Photoaging and Cutaneous Photocarcinogenesis, and Photoprotective Strategies with Phytochemicals". Antioxidants. 4 (2): 248–268. doi:10.3390/antiox4020248. ISSN 2076-3921. PMC 4665475. PMID 26783703.
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference cps.ca was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ "The Risks of Tanning". U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 14 October 2015.
  17. ^ a b Ghissassi, Fatiha El; Baan, Robert; Straif, Kurt; Grosse, Yann; Secretan, Béatrice; Bouvard, Véronique; Benbrahim-Tallaa, Lamia; Guha, Neela; Freeman, Crystal (2009-08-01). "A review of human carcinogens—Part D: radiation". The Lancet Oncology. 10 (8): 751–752. doi:10.1016/S1470-2045(09)70213-X. ISSN 1470-2045. PMID 19655431.
  18. ^ "Sunlamps and Sunlamp Products (Tanning Beds/Booths)". U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 22 December 2015.
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference Radack2015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ^ "Artificial tanning sunbeds: risk and guidance". World Health Organization. 2003. Archived from the original on June 29, 2004.
  21. ^ Cartmel, B.; Bale, A.E.; Mayne, S.T.; Gelernter, J.E.; DeWan, A.T.; Spain, P.; Leffell, D.J.; Pagoto, S.; Ferrucci, L.M. (2017-02-21). "Predictors of tanning dependence in white non-Hispanic females and males". Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. 31 (7): 1223–1228. doi:10.1111/jdv.14138. ISSN 0926-9959. PMC 5522341. PMID 28129487.


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