Some people want tanned skin all year round and use artificial sunlight from the tanning bed to achieve this. But using the sunbed is not without risks. A connection is made with the development of skin cancer and in some countries certain types of sunbeds are even banned.

Tanning beds increase the risk of skin cancer

In our country, tanning under artificial sunlight is very popular. Thousands of Dutch people regularly use the sunbed. With a tan people want to look younger, more attractive and well-groomed. And people don’t want to miss out on these benefits, even in the months without sun. The health risks resulting from an increased risk of skin cancer are usually ignored.American research among students showed that young women are not very concerned that they might contract skin cancer from a sunbed. But the information that artificial sunlight makes their skin age faster did have a deterrent effect on the girls.Children and young people are also insufficiently aware of the dangers to the skin posed by artificial sunbathing. To protect them against skin cancer, the government in our eastern neighbors decided in March 2009 to ban tanning in sunbeds for minors.

The risk of developing skin cancer

Tanning beds are one of the most important risk factors for skin cancer:

• Anyone with sensitive light skin and more than 40 pigment spots is extra vulnerable.
• This also applies to people who have already developed an early form of skin cancer or have previously had skin cancer;
• caution is also advised if a family member, such as a parent, brother, sister or children, has ever had skin cancer.

Dermatologists warn again and again: people who tan under a sunbed become more susceptible to skin cancer. For about 15 years, cancer statistics have recorded an increase in the number of fatal skin cancer cases, especially in people under 30.

How does tanning under a sunbed work?

Tanning under a tanning bed works in principle the same as tanning in natural sunlight:

• the UV light stimulates melanocytes, the pigment cells;
• they lie in the epidermis and form melanin;
• they pass on the brown discoloration to the surrounding cells, which then appear darker;
• but human skin cells continuously renew themselves, so the tan slowly fades again;
• the higher the UVB content, the longer the color lasts;
• the higher the UVA content, the faster the skin tans.

In addition, UV radiation stimulates the pituitary gland. It produces endorphins (happiness hormone) and growth hormone, among other things. Well-being increases . Light also stimulates the production of vitamin D3, which, together with calcium and phosphorus, is responsible for the stability of our bones.

The risk of faster aging of the skin

While UVB radiation in particular promotes the production of vitamin D3, most tanning beds mainly emit UVA rays. UVA rays penetrate deeper into the skin, causing it to age faster:

• wrinkles form;
• the connective tissue weakens;
• tear ducts may develop;
• because the pigmentation changes, age spots appear;
• the skin loses its elasticity and looks leathery.

The UV radiation can also damage the eyes. Even with closed eyelids, some radiation penetrates and irritates the retina and connective tissue. People with pigment spots and fair skin are at extra risk.

Benefits do not outweigh the risks

Every year, hundreds of people are diagnosed with skin cancer. About 10% of them suffer from the dangerous variant and about 25% of those patients die every year. That’s why many dermatologists recommend avoiding tanning beds completely because the benefits do not outweigh the potential risks.

Tanning beds cost 800 lives every year

Approximately 5% of all skin cancers in Europe are caused by tanning beds. This is shown by a study published in July 2012 in the British Medical Journal. The skin cancer of 11,000 patients was examined. Conclusions of the researchers:

• In Europe, 800 people die every year from skin cancer caused by tanning beds;
• Young people under the age of 35 have twice the risk of developing skin cancer from using a sunbed.

“Sunbeds are cancer machines”

In Belgium, the Foundation against Cancer started a campaign on buses in 11 cities in December 2012 to warn the public about the carcinogenic properties of sunbeds. This action took place under the telling slogan “Sunbeds are cancer machines”.The International Agency for Research on Cancer puts tanning beds on a par with tobacco and asbestos. Anyone who tans under a sunbed has a 20% higher risk of contracting skin cancer. Yet the public is not sufficiently aware of the risks of tanning beds.It is estimated that there are about 4,000 tanning studios in Belgium, but that is only a rough estimate because registration is not mandatory. As a result, many tanning studios avoid existing regulations and controls on use and intensity.

Tanorexia: addicted to tanning

The psychological dependence on artificial sunbathing is also a growing problem. Tanorexia, tanning addiction is an exaggerated desire to tan the skin excessively. If these people cannot use the sunbed for several days, withdrawal symptoms will occur. Premature aging of the skin and an increased risk of skin cancer are taken for granted. It’s just like smoking.The word Tanorexia consists of the English word “tan” for tanning and “anore xia” from anorexia nervosa, the medical term for leanness. This combination of words is intended to demonstrate the parallel with the reduced self-image of people with that eating disorder.