Tanning booths use UVA bulbs that emit radiation to tan the skin. These UVA rays are dangerous to tissue. You have to wear goggles while in the tanning booth because the rays can cause damage to your cornea. In a 1994 study, Swedish researchers found that people 35 and younger who regularly used tanning beds had nearly double the risk of contracting melanoma, which is one of the deadliest types of skin cancer.
Cancer Risks
According to the National Cancer Institute, anyone who is exposed to natural radiation or regularly visits tanning booths is at an increased risk to develop skin cancer. If the person has red, blond or light-colored hair, the risk is greater. The same holds true for those who have green, gray or blue eyes.
Increased risk is proportional to melanin found in the skin. If you have lighter hair and eyes you have naturally decreased melanin, which guards against skin cancer. If you sunburn easily, you are at an even greater risk. If you have been treated for any type of skin cancer or have close relatives who have contracted skin cancer, you have an increased risk of contracting melanoma, especially if you use a tanning booth on a regular basis.
Using a tanning booth a more than once a month gives women a 55 percent higher chance of malignant melanoma, according to the National Cancer Institute.
Impact
Using a tanning booth is more dangerous than natural exposure to the sun. A tanning booth uses UVA rays, which decrease the skin's natural ability to heal itself, according to the Health Physics Society. UVA rays have more risk of developing skin cancer and causing deeper damage, but cause a smaller amount of surface damage, such as sunburn.
Myth
A common tanning myth is that if you use a booth to tan just before summer, you can develop a protective base tan. The truth is, using a tanning booth decreases the skin's healing abilities against the radiation of the sun while increasing the skin's susceptibility to damage. In addition, your risk of skin cancer increases with the added exposure to radiation.
Exposure
Although artificial and natural ultraviolet rays cause an increased risk of skin cancer, a variety of factors influence your personal risk: skin type, type of tanning beds and tanning bulb wattage.
Protection
A tanning booth represents an intense, voluntary exposure to UVA rays. Avoiding tanning booths removes these risks. When going out into the sun's natural rays, use a sunscreen, and avoid being outside when the sun reaches its highest point--usually around noon. Be careful around reflective surfaces like water. Reflective surfaces bounce light onto your skin from all directions. Wear preventive care such as waterproof sunblock to reduce the amount of light absorbed into your skin.
