Tanning Beds Linked to Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer
Date: 8.10.2012
Indoor tanning beds can cause non-melanoma skin cancer -- and the risk is greater the earlier one starts tanning, according to a new analysis led by UCSF.
Indoor tanning is already an established risk factor for malignant melanoma, the less common but deadliest form of skin cancer. Now, the new study confirms that indoor tanning significantly increases the risk of non-melanoma skin cancers, the most common human skin cancers.
Young people who patronize tanning salons before age 25 have a significantly higher risk of developing basal cell carcinomas compared to those who never use the popular tanning booths, the researchers reported.
The World Health Organization has said that ultraviolet tanning devices cause cancer in people and the International Agency for Research on Cancer considers indoor tanning a "Class 1'' carcinogen.
