Dietlin 1

Jessica Dietlin
Ms. Gardner
English 10H 1
6 May 2014
Tanning Salons:
A Threat to the Health and Safety of Minors
As the popularity of tanning salons severely increases, so does the amount of young
people diagnosed with fatal skin cancer. Dr. Jeffrey E. Gershenwald, the medical director of the
Melanoma and Skin Center at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston,
points out that "those who use indoor tanning salons before turning eighteen increase their risk of
developing melanoma by 85 percent" (qtd. in Serrano). The rates of melanoma, a deadly skin
cancer, have increased drastically over the last forty years due to the progressive amount of
people using tanning salons. Five states--California, Vermont, Oregon, Nevada, and Texas--have
banned indoor tanning by minors, and a number of states have strengthened their constraints on
minors tanning in their salons. But, not all states have taken precautions to secure the safety of
minors, and it would be in their best interests to do so. A federal ban in all states should be
enacted in order to ensure the protection and safety of minors around the damaging ultraviolet
rays emitted from tanning beds in indoor tanning salons.
Initially, many people would argue that tanning outdoors without supervision would
become a more frequent occurrence if tanning indoors by minors were to be banned, thus causing
a dangerous increase in the amount of unhealthy sunburns. Tracie Cunningham, the executive
director of the American Suntanning Association, argues that the problem with skin cancer
Dietlin 2

comes from tanning outdoors without protection: "The issue with the risk revolves around
sunburns, and thats something a professional salon doesnt do (qtd. in Wise). Also, tanning
indoors can indeed benefit people. Matthew Turner, owner of the Halsted Street Beach Tanning
Salon in Lakeview, states that exposure to UV rays helps provide vitamin D and treat acne (qtd.
in Bowean). Nonetheless, the severe complications from the tanning beds strikingly outweigh the
benefits of indoor tanning. Additionally, banning indoor tanning by minors may cause a decrease
in customers and popularity of the tanning salons, leading to possible unemployment of workers
in salons. This issue could easily add obstacles in the economy due to the unemployment of
managers and employees of tanning salons. Truthfully, the banning of indoor tanning by minors
can lead to the increase of minors tanning outdoors unsafely without supervision; however,
indoor tanning by minors should definitely be banned because the ultraviolet rays from tanning
beds are in fact more dangerous than the rays from the sun itself.
Admittedly, indoor tanning can give a person an ideal model-like tan. Nevertheless,
indoor tanning does more than just give a person a tan: it causes numerous types of skin damage
as well. Rose Welton, a partner at LIVESTRONG.com, explains that tans and sunburns cause skin
to develop wrinkles and sunspots. Likewise, the unhealthy UV rays from tanning beds produce
freckles and dangerous moles on skin. In addition, the website Center for Disease Control and
Prevention describes that "using tanning beds increases the risk of wrinkles and changes in skin
texture" ("Is Indoor"). Skin is extremely vulnerable towards ultraviolet rays. It tends to develop a
texture much like leather just from allowing it to be around excessive amounts of UV exposure,
and this exposure is often a result of tanning indoors. An author of the website Paulaschoice.com
reports "tanning causes cumulative damage that leads to skin changes you're likely going to
regret later in life, including thinning and sagging of skin" ("5"). Overall, tanning indoors causes
Dietlin 3

many forms of skin damage: wrinkles, sunspots, freckles, moles, changes in skin texture, and
sagging of the skin. In order to protect their skin from premature aging and damage, minors
should avoid using tanning beds at all costs.
Furthermore, ultraviolet rays affect not only the skin, but the eyes as well. Rose Welton
warns that "eye cancer, also known as ocular melanoma, is a potential consequence of excessive
UV ray exposure" (Welton). Some types of eye cancers such as photokeratitis and
photoconjunctivitis are treatable; however, chronic eye problems such as cataracts and pterygium
can occur too. A cataract is an eye disease that causes clouding of the lens, resulting in impaired
vision. According to an author of WebMD.com, Pterygium--also known as Surfer's Eye--is a
"noncancerous lesion that usually grows slowly throughout life" ("Pterygium"). It starts in the
tissue of the eye and then extends onto the cornea. It is slightly raised and includes visible blood
vessels. In addition to chronic eye complications and somewhat temporary diseases caused by
excessive ultraviolet exposure, Welton informs that "tumors can develop on the surface of the
eyes as well" (Welton). Ocular melanoma and other eye problems can be averted by avoiding
tanning beds, for steering clear of tanning beds will lessen one's risk of obtaining these
complications.
Ultimately, indoor tanning increases the risk of developing a deadly form of skin cancer
called melanoma. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, melanoma is virulent:
The most dangerous form of skin cancer, these cancerous
growths develop when unrepaired DNA damage to skin cells
(most often caused by ultraviolet radiation from sunshine or
tanning beds) triggers mutations (genetic defects) that lead the
Dietlin 4

skin cells to multiply rapidly and form malignant tumors. These
tumors originate in the pigment-producing melanocytes in the
basal layer of the epidermis. Melanomas often resemble moles;
some develop from moles. ("Skin")
Liz Szabo of the Gannet News Service found that the risk of melanoma increases 1.8
percent with each tanning session per year. This is especially dangerous for minors because the
more tanning sessions they participate in, a higher risk of developing melanoma at a very young
age occurs. Matthew Perrone, writer of the Miami Herald Newspaper, declares that "recent
studies have shown that the risk of melanoma is 75 percent higher in people who have been
exposed to ultraviolet radiation from indoor tanning" (Perrone). Also, Szabo explains that "using
a tanning bed before the age of twenty-five increases the risk of developing a non-melanoma
skin cancer by up to 100 percent" (Szabo). Tanning beds drastically increase the risk of
development of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers in any person who chooses to
partake in a tanning session for any amount of time. An article by Lindsay Wise, a writer of
McClatchy Newspapers, told a story about a young woman named Jaime Regen who used
tanning beds several times a week when she was a student in high school during the 1990s.
Regen and her mother did not have valid information on the dangers of tanning beds at the time.
Wise states that "Jaime was diagnosed with melanoma when she was 20. Eventually the cancer
spread to her liver, then her brain. She died in 2007 at age 29" (Wise). Today, minors are
experiencing the same situation as Regen did back in the 1990s. Indoor tanning is terrifyingly
unsafe and can result in various forms of skin cancer, including melanoma and basal-cell
carcinoma--a nonmelanoma form of skin cancer. Therefore, minors should be protected from the
Dietlin 5

harmful ultraviolet rays of the carcinogenic tanning beds in order for them to avoid the diagnosis
of skin cancer at a young age.
In conclusion, the federal government should outlaw the use of tanning salons by minors
in all states in order to ensure the protection and safety of minors, for the reason that the harmful
UV rays emitted from tanning beds can cause irreversible skin damage, eye complications, and
result in deadly skin cancers such as melanoma. This certain type of a federal ban would
eliminate minors from tanning salons, ultimately protecting them from an increased risk of
developing skin cancer at an early age, thus potentially saving lives. Minors: by avoiding tanning
salons, you will be protecting your body from deadly cancers and your skin from unhealthy
changes. Just remember, no sun-kissed tan is worth your life in the long run.












Dietlin 6

Works Cited
"5 Tanning Bed Lies That Could Kill Your Skin." Tanning Bed Lies: Myths: Skin Care Advice:
Cosmetics Cop Expert Advice. Paula's Choice, 2014. Web. 02 May 2014.
Bowean, Lolly. "Tanning Salon Owners Cry Foul on New Age Rule." Chicago Tribune. 20 Jun.
2012: 1. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.
"Is Indoor Tanning Safe?" Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, 01 Apr. 2014. Web. 02 May 2014.
Perrone, Matthew. "FDA Wants Cancer Warnings on Tanning Beds." Miami Herald. 06 May.
2013: N.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.
"Pterygium (Surfer's Eye): Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment." WebMD. WebMD, 2005. Web.
02 May 2014.
Serrano, Jody. "With Youth Tanning Law, Texas Aims to Lower Melanoma Risk." New York
Times. 30 Aug. 2013: A.15A. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.
"Skin Cancer Foundation." Melanoma. The Skin Cancer Foundation, 2014. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.
Szabo, Liz. "Alarming Find: 29% of High School Girls Use Tanning Beds." Gannett News
Service. 19 Aug. 2013: N.p. SIRS Issues Researcher.Web. 17 Apr. 2014.
Welton, Rose. "Negative Effects of Tanning Beds." LIVESTRONG.COM. LIVESTRONG.COM,
17 Jan. 2014. Web. 02 May 2014.
Wise, Lindsay. "Skeptics Shine Sunlight on Tanning Industry's Safety Claims." McClatchy News
papers. 28 Feb. 2013: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.