Tanning in all forms is dangerous. A concerted effort by a cadre of Penn Medicine dermatologists has helped push legislation forward to prevent skin cancers by restricting access to tanning beds, one of the major drivers of the increased incidence of skin cancer in the United States. Current estimates are that one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime.
In 2010, William James, MD, vice chair and professor of Dermatology, advocated for tanning bed restrictions during his time as president of the American Academy of Dermatology, the leading national organization of dermatologists. As Internal Medicine News reported at the time, James served as an expert to the Food and Drug Administration advisory panel that recommended tougher restrictions on indoor tanning devices, including a ban on their use by people under age 18.
According to the American Academy of Dermatology, people who have been exposed to UV radiation from indoor tanning experience a 59 percent increase in the risk of melanoma, the deadliest type of skin cancer. This risk increases each time they use a tanning bed, as the effect of UV exposure is cumulative.
Nearly 40 states have now enacted laws putting age restrictions on indoor tanning. In Pennsylvania, Bruce Brod, MD, clinical professor of Dermatology, and Sarah Catalano, MD, a resident at CHOP, were very active in seeing the recent Pennsylvania legislation to fruition.
As Dr. Brod noted in a Bucks County Courier Times story back in March 2014, “Pennsylvania [was] the only state east of the Mississippi River [with] no law that regulates the teenage use of indoor tanning.” Fifteen minutes in an indoor tanning booth can cause as much skin damage as four hours of sunbathing outside, Brod said. In addition to risking cancer, frequent users of tanning booths tend to look older at younger ages and have issues with blotchy skin, wrinkles, uneven pigmentation and susceptibility to bruising.
Today, the new Pennsylvania law will be ceremonially signed by Governor Corbett, with Dr. Brod in attendance, and will go into effect 60 days later from the date of the bill's original signing - May 6, 2014. The law bans indoor tanning for anyone 16 and younger, 17-year-olds will need parental consent, warning signs will have to be posted inside salons, and all customers will have to sign a written warning statement acknowledging the inherit risks.
George Cotsarelis, MD, chair and professor of Dermatology, spoke with 6ABC about the new Pennsylvania indoor tanning legislation. "We know indoor tanning causes melanoma, so by putting restrictions on it for young kids, it's definitely going to prevent people from getting melanoma and dying," said Cotsarelis.
Last week, the FDA followed-up on the recommendations of the 2010 expert panel. All tanning beds will be required to visibly include a black-box warning explicitly stating that tanning beds should not be used by minors. In addition, the tanning bed devices have been reclassified to a higher risk category, given that they emit UV radiation that may cause skin cancer.
Penn dermatologist Joe Sobanko, MD, spoke with CBS3 on the day the FDA announcement was made, noting that 70 percent of tanning bed customers - which is a $5 billion dollar industry - are females under the age of 29. “We have data showing a direction relationship between tanning beds and melanoma,” said Sobanko.
In addition to avoiding unnecessary UV exposure, Carrie Kovarik, MD, associate professor of Dermatology, recently reminded NBC10 viewers on Melanoma Monday, "[People] should learn how to check themselves from head to toe and have their partner look at places like their scalp that they can't see themselves."
SpotSkinCancer.org has all sorts of information on how to conduct a self-exam, find a dermatologist or screening near you.