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The Effects of Tanning Beds Compared to Natural Sunlight

Too much sun on unprotected skin causes it to wrinkle, sag and otherwise age prematurely. It also can cause skin cancer, the most common cancer in the U.S. While some people think indoor tanning provides a safe alternative --- the industry is booming, especially among young females -- evidence shows it's also unsafe. Though sun lamps don't burn skin the way the sun does, they were classified in 2009 as carcinogenic to humans by the World Health Organization. That's the same classification as the sun's ultraviolet (UV) A and B rays.

  1. UV Rays

    • Tanning beds mostly give off UVA rays, which penetrate the lower layers of skin and result in a tan, according to KidsHealth.org. Sunlight emits both UVA and UVB rays, and UVB rays burn the top layers of skin, causing sunburn. But UVA rays exacerbate the cancer-causing effects of UVB rays, so both are harmful. Regardless of whether you've acquired a burn or a tan --- or even a few freckles --- it's visual evidence that you've done some damage to your skin.

    Cancer from Sun

    • A sunburn can be painful and blister.

      UV rays damage the DNA of the skin's epidermal cells, and though enzymes quickly try to repair them, sometimes the cells mutate and become cancerous, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation. It reports that sunburn is directly linked to melanoma, the most dangerous kind of skin cancer: "one blistering sunburn in childhood or adolescence, or five sunburns total over the course of one's life, more than doubles a person's chances of developing melanoma later in life," says the Skin Cancer Foundation.

    Cancer from Tanning Beds

    • The Skin Cancer Foundation states that sun lamps emit doses of UVA "as much as 12 times that of the sun," and that people who use tanning salons are more likely to develop squamous cell and basal cell carcinoma, the most common kinds of skin cancer. And people diagnosed with those have an increased chance of developing melanoma. A July 2009 article in Time notes that people who use tanning beds increase their chances of getting melanoma by 20 percent, and those who start using them before age 30 increase their risk of skin cancer by 75 percent.

    Other Effects

    • UV rays help the body make vitamin D, but vitamin D is readily available from other sources, including milk, salmon and supplements. According to Go Sun Smart, a program funded by the National Cancer Institute, UV rays also damage the eye's retina, and retinal damage is often irreversible. The Oklahoma State University's Environmental Health and Safety Department reports that spending long hours in the sun without eye protection can cause cataracts, and that sunburns, even mild ones, can alter disease-fighting white blood cells and thus suppress the skin's immune functions.

    Minimizing Risk

    • Read the directions on sunscreen; it must be applied well to work.

      The effects of UV rays are cumulative, but you can protect yourself from future damage. Wear clothes with sun protection in the fabric, and use sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher. Avoid the sun during its peak hours (about 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.), wear sunglasses, and keep a wide-brimmed hat on outside. Get vitamin D from your diet or supplements and, if you must get a tan, stick to a bottled sunless tanner you can rub or spray on your body.

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