MYTH: TANNING BEDS ARE SAFER THAN THE SUN

Not a chance! If you don’t believe us, check out the facts provided by the Skin Cancer Foundation:

• Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is a proven human carcinogen.

• The International Agency for Research on Cancer, an affiliate of the World Health Organization, includes ultraviolet (UV) tanning devices in its Group 1, a list of agents that are cancer-causing to humans. Group 1 also includes agents such as plutonium, cigarettes and solar UV radiation.

• Ultraviolet (UV) tanning devices were reclassified by the FDA from Class I (low risk) to Class II (moderate to high risk) devices as of September 2, 2014.

• Indoor tanning devices can emit UV radiation in amounts 10 to 15 times higher than the sun at its peak intensity.

• Eighteen states plus the District of Columbia prohibit people younger than 18 from using indoor tanning devices: California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont, West Virginia and Maryland. Oregon and Washington prohibit those under age 18 from using indoor tanning devices unless a prescription is provided.

• Brazil and Australia have banned indoor tanning altogether. Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom have banned indoor tanning for people younger than age 18.

• More than 419,000 cases of skin cancer in the U.S. each year are linked to indoor tanning, including about 245,000 basal cell carcinomas, 168,000 squamous cell carcinomas and 6,200 melanomas.

• More people develop skin cancer from indoor tanning than develop lung cancer from smoking.

• Those who have ever tanned indoors have a 83 percent increased risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma and a 29 percent increased risk of developing basal cell carcinoma.

• Any history of indoor tanning increases the risk of developing basal cell carcinoma before age 40 by 69 percent.

• Women who have ever tanned indoors are six times more likely to be diagnosed with melanoma in their 20s than those who have never tanned indoors. At all ages, the more women tan indoors, the higher their risk of developing melanoma.

• One study observing 63 women diagnosed with melanoma before age 30 found that 61 of them (97 percent) had used tanning beds.

• People who first use a tanning bed before age 35 increase their risk for melanoma by 75%.

Enough said. We think you get the picture.