There is no such thing as a “safe” or “healthy” tan.
- UV exposure causes a biochemical reaction in the skin that causes it to tan, but it is also the same process that damages DNA, causing cancerous mutations in skin cells. If those mutations are not completely repaired-as frequently occurs-skin cancers result.
- Since the tanning process appears to be part of the same process that damages DNA, current research suggest that it may be impossible to uncouple the two.
- Any UV ray exposure increases your risk of developing melanoma. Current research has documented that both UVA and UVB rays are mutagenic for the skin.Although DNA absorbs UVB rays more efficiently than UVA rays, 99 percent of rays reaching the epidermis (where skin cancer develops), are UVA rays. Most indoor tanning devices emit 95 percent or more UVA rays.
- A 2007 study found that individuals who had first used of a tanning bed prior to age 35 had a 75 percent greater risk of developing melanoma.
