According to a new risk assessment, tanning beds are as certain to cause cancer as smoking cigarettes. Tanning beds, also known as sun beds, and all types of ultraviolet rays are now ranked in the highest risk group by the IARC (International Agency for Resarch on Cancer). This places the tanning beds in the same category as heavy metals (plutonium and radium), researchers said in a paper published today in the medical journal Lancet Oncology. Sun beds/tanning beds, and Ultra Violate light are now considered “carcinogenic to humans.” If a person uses a tanning bed, then it raised the risk of developing the type of skin cancer called melanoma by 75 percent in users that started tanning before the age of 30! Now I assume the study meant to clarify this position and add excessive exposure to UV light is carcinogenic to humans. The reason I say this is because I am familiar with studies showing how sun light on human skin knocks off a molecule in it to produce vitamin D (the sunshine vitamin).
I am certainly not advocating the use of Tanning Beds, and I do believe they are not a natural way to treat your skin, and due to this fact alone, may cause much damage and even cancer if used quite often. To this end, I advise people not to use them. My questions go back to why do you need to artificially tan your skin in a tanning bed? The healthier choice is always the natural choice–go outside for a few minutes and relax in the sun naturally, not artificially. Moderation is key as with everything else.
