Indoor tanning
[2] The practice finds a cultural parallel in skin whitening in Asian countries, and both support multibillion-dollar industries.
[3] Most indoor tanners are women, 16–25 years old, who want to improve their appearance or mood, acquire a pre-holiday tan, or treat a skin condition.
[11][12] Until the 20th century in Europe and the United States, pale skin was a symbol of high social class among white people.
Victorian women would carry parasols and wear wide-brimmed hats and gloves; their homes featured heavy curtains that kept out the sun.
[14][15][16] In parallel physicians began advising their patients on the benefits of the "sun cure", citing its antiseptic properties.
Sunshine was promoted as a treatment for depression, diabetes, constipation, pneumonia, high and low blood pressure, and many other ailments.
[18] Friedrich Wolff, a German scientist, began using UV light on athletes, and developed beds that emitted 95% UVA and 5% UVB, which reduced the likelihood of burning.
Most tanning beds are horizontal enclosures with a bench and canopy (lid) that house long, low-pressure fluorescent bulbs (100–200 watt) under an acrylic surface.
In the US, maximum times are set by the manufacturer according to how long it takes to produce four "minimal erythema doses" (MEDs), an upper limit laid down by the FDA.
UVB has no immediate bronzing effect, but with a delay of 72 hours makes the skin produce new melanin, leading to tans of longer duration.
UVA is less likely to cause burning or dry skin than UVB but is associated with wrinkling and loss of elasticity because it penetrates deeper.
[32] Studies seeking to link indoor tanning to education level and income have returned inconsistent results.
[41] Of the country's 125 top colleges and universities in 2014, 12% had indoor-tanning facilities on campus and 42.4% in off-campus housing, 96% of the latter free of charge to the tenants.
[4] Tanners often cite feelings of well-being; exposure to tanning beds is reported to "increase serum beta-endorphin levels by 44%".
Studies show that tanned skin has semiotic power, signifying health, beauty, youth and the ability to seduce.
Exposing arms and legs to a minimal 0.5 erythemal (mild sunburn) UVB dose is equal to consuming about 3000 IU of vitamin D3.
[52] The indoor-tanning industry has stressed the relationship between tanning and the production of vitamin D.[6] According to the US National Institutes of Health, some researchers have suggested that "5–30 minutes of sun exposure between 10 AM and 3 PM at least twice a week to the face, arms, legs, or back without sunscreen usually lead to sufficient vitamin D synthesis and that the moderate use of commercial tanning beds that emit 2%–6% UVB radiation is also effective".
[73] An international meta-analysis performed in 2014 estimates that annually, 464,170 cases of skin cancer can be attributed to exposure to indoor tanning.
[79] Teenagers are frequent targets of tanning industry marketing, which includes offers of coupons and placing ads in high-school newspapers.
Staff reportedly failed to follow FDA recommendations, denied the risks of tanning, and offered misleading information about benefits.
[82] According to the Canadian Pediatric Society, "repeated UVR exposures, and the use of indoor tanning beds specifically, may have important systemic and behavioral consequences, including mood changes, compulsive disorders, pain and physical dependency.
(aeruginosa and putida), Bacillus spp., Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterococcus species, Staphylococcus aureus, and Enterobacter cloacae.
[86] Several prescription and over-the-counter drugs, including antidepressants, antibiotics, antifungals and anti-diabetic medication, can cause photosensitivity, which makes burning the skin while tanning more likely.
[88] Indoor tanning is prohibited for under-18s in British Columbia,[92] Alberta,[93] Manitoba,[94] Saskatchewan,[95] Ontario,[96] Quebec,[97][98] and Prince Edward Island;[99] and for under-19s in New Brunswick,[100] Nova Scotia,[101] Newfoundland and Labrador,[102] and the Northwest Territories.
Under-18s are similarly prohibited in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Poland and the United Kingdom.
Tanners are asked to sign a consent form, which includes health information and advice about the importance of wearing goggles.
[109] As of 1 January 2017[update], California, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas, Vermont and Washington have banned the use of tanning beds for minors under the age of 18.
[113] This is designed to ensure that the devices adhere to a set of safety rules, with the primary focus on sunbed and lamp manufacturers regarding maximum exposure times and product equivalence.
States control regulations for salons, regarding operator training, sanitization of sunbeds and eyewear, and additional warning signs.
[110] American osteopathic physician Joseph Mercola was prosecuted in 2016 by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for selling tanning beds to "reverse your wrinkles" and "slash your risk of cancer".
