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Tanning beds are an extremely popular option for people in less sunny areas, or those who simply like the convenience of tanning whenever they want. However, using a tanning bed can lead to serious health consequences.
Identification
Tanning beds bronze the skin by emitting ultraviolet, or UV light, the same type of light that the sun emits, according to Vanderbilt University. Too much exposure to UV light damages the skin and has been linked to skin cancer.
Considerations
Tanning beds filter out the most harmful parts of the ultraviolet spectrum, known as UVB and UVC, and use mostly UVA rays, the least harmful part of the spectrum.
Effects
While tanning beds use the least damaging type of UV light--UVA--this part of the UV spectrum is still linked to increased incidence of skin cancer.
Significance
According to the American Cancer Society, a person's beginning to use tanning beds before age 30 increases his risk of melanoma by 75 percent.
Warning
Some tanning salons may declare their tanning beds "safe," but that claim is simply not true, according to Consumer Savvy Tips. Indoor tanning may pose less danger than outdoor suntanning, but all tanning beds use harmful UV light.
Source:
American Cancer Society; Tanning Beds Pose Serious Cancer Risk, Agency Says; Snowden, Rebecca; 2009
ConsumerSavvyTips; Safe Tanning: Is It a Myth or Is It Reality?
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