Indoor tanning raises risk for skin cancer

New Haven, Conn. (WTNH) - Lauren Hurd no longer longs for that healthy glow achieved through frequent visits to indoor tanning salons.

"Melanoma at 22," she said. "You don't think you're ever going to hear something like that."  

Lauren is convinced the concentrated UV exposure from tanning indoors while she was in college led to the diagnosis.

She added, "You choose to ignore the warning signs and you choose to want to continue with this habit and addiction and it brings you to a bad place."
   
Now a Yale study finds that people under the age of 40 who tanned indoors have a higher risk of developing skin cancer.

Specifically, researchers found a 69 percent risk of early-onset basal cell carcinoma among mostly fair skinned participants, compared to those who never used tanning beds.

Dr. David Leffell, a study co-author and dermatologist at Yale School of Medicine, said, "It's the first time that we were able to demonstrate that using indoor tanning increases the risk of basal cell carcinoma, specifically in young women."    

Dr. Leffell said that could explain why doctors are seeing more cases of BCC in younger patients. "The reality is the harmful ultraviolet rays that come from the light bulbs that come from a tanning parlor are in some cases many more times powerful than the natural sun people tend to get," he said.

BCC is the most common form of skin cancer and is highly treatable.

Dr. Leffell pointed out, "While it doesn't tend to spiral in the body. If it's neglected, it can cause local problems and damage."

A three inch scar on her right leg is a constant reminder of Lauren's scare with skin cancer, something she wants others to avoid. "You start making excuses to yourself and to other people about why it's okay to continue doing it."    
 
Last year, Lauren was among those who testified in support of an indoor tanning bill in Connecticut requiring parental or guardian consent for someone under the age of 18 years old. It didn't pass.

Supporters hope to resurrect it during this legislative session.

The Executive Director of the Indoor Tanning Association , John Overstreet, issued this statement in response to the story:

"In the case of ultraviolet light, whether indoors or under the sun, you have risks and you have benefits and moderation is the always the key. One of the risks of repeated over exposure is  BCC, a rarely fatal skin cancer.  However, it is also very likely these same individuals would have robust levels of Vitamin D in their systems and having an adequate level of Vitamin D is known to play an important role in preventing a host of diseases such as osteoporosis and multiple sclerosis and deadly internal cancers such as colon, breast and prostate cancer."