Tanning Salons Should Close Their Door to Teenagers

Tanning salons should close their door to teenagers, is the joint recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics, to reduce their risk of skin cancer. Research shows people who start going to tanning salons before age 35 have a 75-percent increase in their chances of developing melanoma, the deadliest type of skin cancer.

"There are more tanning facilities in the U.S. than there are Starbucks or McDonald's. More than a million visits are made every day," said Dr. Sophie J. Balk, who helped write the new statement for the American Academy of Pediatrics.

In one large Scandinavian study, 24 out of every 10,000 young women who tanned regularly developed melanoma compared to 17 out of every 10,000 who had never or only rarely used a tanning bed. About one in 50 white people get melanoma at some point in their life, and the number has been climbing for the past three decades. Each year, about 8,700 Americans die from the disease.

A University of Minnesota study said no tanning is safe, regardless of age, gender or type of device. The study concluded anyone who has used a tanning bed is 74 percent more likely to develop melanoma and frequent users are 2.5 to three times more likely to get the cancer than those who never use tanning devices.

"I see it as a very important public health issue. We're coming out very strongly for legislation that supports banning minors' access to tanning salons," said Balk, a pediatrician at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore in Bronx, New York.

Surveys have found that nearly a quarter of white teenagers in the U.S. have tried indoor tanning at least once. And many do it regularly.

"Mothers and daughters tend to go tan together. It's like going to the beauty parlor," said Dr. June K. Robinson, a dermatologist at Northwestern University in Chicago, who is not affiliated with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

"It's banning things we know have health downsides for people who are not able to make an informed choice at this point in their life," said Robinson, a member of the American Academy of Dermatology, which also supports a ban for minors and compares tanning to cigarettes and alcohol.

American Academy of Pediatrics: http://www.aap.org

Tanning Salons Should Close Their Door to Teenagers