Shedding Light on Perceptions of Indoor Tanning

Knowledge about the ill effects of this practice is rising, but so is usage among the young.

Indoor tanning has been estimated to increase the risk for melanoma by 75%. Still, the use of tanning beds has increased dramatically over the years: 50% of people in their late teens and twenties use tanning beds. To determine knowledge and attitudes about indoor tanning in this age group, researchers in Chicago questioned beachgoers between the ages of 18 and 30 and compared their answers with responses to similar surveys conducted in 1988 and 1994.

Awareness of the relation between tanning and skin cancer increased from 42% of responders in 1988 to 87% in 2007. From 1988 to 2007, the percentage of respondents who knew that avoiding tanning helps to prevent skin cancer substantially increased (the percentage rose from 25% in 1988 to 77% in…

Reviewing Author

Craig A. Elmets, MD

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory board Astellas Pharmaceuticals

EquityVaxin

Grant / Research support NIH; NIH/NCI; Veteran’s Administration; Ferndale Laboratories; Kyowa Hakko Kirin Pharma, Inc.

Editorial boards Cancer Prevention Research; Photodermatology, Photoimmunology, & Photomedicine; UpToDate; eMedicine; Journal of Dermatological Sciences; JAMA Dermatology

Leadership positions in professional societies American Academy of Dermatology (Vice Chair, Committee on Science and Research); Photomedicine Society (Board of Directors)