Know the Dangers of Tanning Beds
- Ellie Jones, a featured mother on the latest season of MTV’s “Teen Mum UK: The Next Generation,” often posts about her tanning bed addiction. But Jones and her followers should know just how dangerous it is to go in these beds.
- There is no such thing as a safe tanning bed. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, just one indoor tanning session before age 35 increases the risk of developing life-threatening melanoma, the deadliest type of skin cancer, by 75%.
- Additionally, the American Academy of Dermatology says using tanning beds before age 20 can increase your chances of developing melanoma, the deadliest type of skin cancer, by 47%.
- If being tan is important to you, try a safer option. One of our experts says "spray tans and sunless tanning lotions are safe," but "one should take precautions not to inhale the product when getting a spray tan."
Jones, a young mother who’s been featured on the latest season of MTV’s “Teen Mum UK: The Next Generation,” is not one to shy away from vulnerability. The reality star has openly shared the details of her journey to motherhood after giving birth to her son Tommy at 16, and now she’s opening up about her “#sunbedaddiction.”
Read MoreIn multiple posts to her TikTok, Jones has shared videos of her sitting inside a tanning bed in the hopes of achieving a golden glow. Though she’s at least jokingly recognized the effects of the beds on her skin cancer risk, she has shown no signs of giving up the dangerous practice.@ellieeejonessx Look back at it #teenmumnextgen #teenmumukclips #sunbedcheck ♬ Look Back At It – A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie
In her most recent tanning bed video, Jones mouths the words to a popular song from inside the bed for a “#sunbedcheck.”
In another video from February, Jones admits that she tries to go to a tanning bed every day.
@ellieeejonessx♬ original sound – Kelsea Edmunds
“Mum telling me to stop sunbed because of skin cancer but what she don’t know is I go everyday,” Jones wrote over the video.
SurvivorNet chooses to shares Jones’ videos not out of judgement, but out of concern. Before you take the chance of hopping into a tanning bed, you should know how much they increase your risk for skin cancer.
The Dangers of UV-Blasting Tanning Beds
For starters, there is no such thing as a safe tanning bed.
"Studies have shown that exposure to tanning beds increases the risk of skin cancer and ocular cancer," Dr. Lynn A. Cornelius, the chief of the division of dermatology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, said. "It also induces changes that lead to premature aging of the skin. There is no 'safe' tanning bed."
More Skin Cancer Info
And according to Dr. Anna Pavlick, a medical oncologist at Weill Cornell Medicine, the UV-blasting beds increase your chances of melanoma "exponentially."
"We know there is a direct correlation with [melanoma] patients who go to indoor tanning salons," Dr. Pavlick said.
Tanning Salons Pose a Big Risk for Skin Cancer
Dr. Pavlick went on to explain that the exposure to harmful UVA/UVB rays "is about 6 inches from your body" when you hop into a sunbed as opposed to being thousands of miles away when you're sitting on a beach.
"So you have to think of the intensity that you're exposing your skin to when you go to a tanning salon," Dr. Pavlick said.
Our experts recommend avoiding tanning beds, booths or sun lamps at all costs. But if you need real evidence on why these practices are so bad, consider the following stats from the American Academy of Dermatology and the Skin Cancer Foundation:
- Indoor tanning can increase the risk of developing a type of skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma by 58%.
- Indoor tanning can increase the risk of developing a type of skin cancer called basal cell carcinoma by 24%.
- Using tanning beds before age 20 can increase your chances of developing melanoma, the deadliest type of skin cancer, by 47%.’
- Just one indoor tanning session before age 35 increases the risk of developing life-threatening melanoma by 75%.
- Women younger than 30 are six times more likely to get melanoma if they tan indoors.
- The risk of developing melanoma increases with each sunbed use.
- Research shows that even people who do not burn after indoor tanning or sun exposure are at an increased risk of melanoma if they tan indoors.
- Indoor tanning is associated with an increased risk for more than one melanoma diagnosis in a person's lifetime.
How to Protect Your Skin
These above stats are proof of the danger of tanning beds, but that’s not to say that outdoor tanning is safe either.
Top 5 Ways to Protect Your Skin From Skin Cancer
Dermatologist Dr. Dendy Engelman recommends you do the following things to protect yourself from skin cancer:
- Try to avoid the sun during the peak hours of 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.. This advice doesn't mean you should never go outdoors in the middle of the day, but it does mean you should protect your skin when you do.
- Wear a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses to protect the top of your head, the tops of your ears and the sensitive area around the eye.
- Wear at least SPF 30 sunscreen daily (even in the winter).
- Reapply your sunscreen every two hours or after swimming or excessive sweating.
- Get yearly skin checks with a professional since it's difficult to evaluate all of the body ourselves.
Alternatives to Tanning Beds
Taking all the above steps is really important, but we also recognize that being tan is still really important to some. So, if you’re wanting a safer alternative to indoor or outdoor tanning, consider other options like spray tans and tanning lotions.
"Spray tans and sunless tanning lotions are safe," Dr. Lynn A. Cornelius tells SurvivorNet. "One should take precautions not to inhale the product when getting a spray tan. Skin allergic reactions are rare."
Examining Your Skin for Melanoma: Remember ABCDE
Spray tans are a much safer alternative to tanning beds and "even have a very mild sunscreen effect," but Dr. Craig Elmets, professor in the Department of Dermatology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, warns that not much is known about the side effects. Additionally, know that getting a spray tan should never replace sunscreen use.
"Not a lot is known about the side effects, but there is very limited absorption and they have been available for decades without any reports of serious side effects, which is reassuring," he said.
Self-tanning pills are another option for people seeking a tan, but they are not FDA-approved or endorsed by dermatologists. Dr. Elmets says they have also been associated with allergic reactions and systemic side effects.
"Not a lot is known about the side effects, but there is very limited absorption and they have been available for decades without any reports of serious side effects, which is reassuring," Dr. Elmets explained.
Another option for people seeking a tan is self-tanning pills. But these are not FDA-approved or endorsed by dermatologists, and Dr. Elmets says they have been associated with allergic reactions and systemic side effects.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
