As temperatures begin to drop in many parts of the country, some people may turn to a tanning salon to maintain that summer glow. Although manufacturers of tanning beds claim they are no more dangerous than sitting in the sun, new research “irrefutably” disproves these claims.
Published in Achievements of scienceResearch shows that people who use tanning beds have a three times higher risk of developing melanoma than those who don't. Even more alarmingly, scientists have discovered for the first time that tanning beds cause widespread DNA damage, with mutations appearing even in places where the sun never shines.
“Even in normal skin from indoor tanning patients, in areas without moles, we found DNA changes that are precursors to mutations that predispose to melanoma. This has never been shown before,” first author Pedram Gerami said in the paper. press release.
Read more: In how many ways can the sun kill us?
The connection between tanning beds and melanoma
Melanoma is the deadliest form skin cancerand it kills about 11,000 Americans each year. While treating patients with multiple cases of melanoma, Gerami noticed that an unusually large number of patients were women under the age of 50. Since young women are one of the largest demographic groups using tanning beds, he suspected tanning beds might have something to do with their cases of melanoma and wanted to investigate further.
Before the study began, the researchers compared the medical records of 6,000 people, half of whom used tanning beds and half of whom did not. Among those who used a tanning bed, 5.1 percent were diagnosed with melanoma, compared with only 2.1 percent of those who had never used a tanning bed. This is equivalent to tanning bed users being about three times more likely to develop melanoma.
Another unexpected result was that tanning bed users developed melanoma in areas of the body not normally exposed to the sun, such as the lower back and buttocks. These results sparked the research team's interest in taking a closer look at whether tanning beds cause more extensive DNA damage than the sun.
How tanning beds damage DNA
To find out whether tanning beds cause extensive DNA damage, scientists used new genomic technology and performed single-cell DNA sequencing on melanocytes—the cells that produce melanin, which can transform into melanoma.
After sequencing 182 individual melanocytes from three different groups of skin donors, their hypothesis was confirmed. Skin cells from people who used tanning beds had nearly twice as many mutations as the control group, and their mutations were more likely to be associated with melanoma.
These mutations also matched the pattern observed when comparing medical records: Tanning bed users had DNA mutations in areas of the body that are normally protected from the sun. This finding confirms that tanning beds cause more extensive DNA damage than the sun.
“When exposed to the sun's rays outdoors, the most damage occurs to the 20 percent of your skin. In tanning bed users, we observed the same dangerous mutations across almost the entire surface of the skin,” Jeramie explained.
Warning against tanning beds
The research team hopes their study will deter people from using tanning beds and encourage policy changes, especially as they relate to children.
“At the very least, indoor tanning should be prohibited for minors,” Gerami suggested. “Most of my patients began tanning when they were young, vulnerable and did not have the same level of knowledge and education as adults. They feel slighted by the industry and regret the mistakes of their youth.”
Did you use a solarium when you were younger? Gerami recommends visiting dermatologist Get a full body skin exam to make sure you are not at risk of developing melanoma.
This article does not contain medical advice and should be used for informational purposes only.
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