The trouble with tanning beds…

Bed Head

“Go get a tan. Your body will thank you.”

That’s the feel-good tag line you’ll soon be hearing from a new series of television commercials produced by the Indoor Tanning Association – an advocacy group that represents hundreds of tanning equipment manufacturers and salon operators in the U.S.

This ITA marketing blitz is designed to alleviate skin cancer fears by emphasizing the health benefits of ultraviolet light. And it’s true that your body will make excellent use of moderate sun exposure by producing the remarkably protective vitamin D. But 30 minutes on a tanning bed is not exactly a walk on the beach.

Every which ray

The ITA web site states: “While indoor tanning is a cosmetic service, a well-known side effect of exposing the skin to ultraviolet (UV) light is the production of vitamin D.”

And that’s true. But there’s a catch. Ultraviolet sunlight exposure and tanning bed ultraviolet exposure are as different as a house cat and a Siberian tiger.

Here’s why:

• There are two types of ultraviolet light rays: UVA and UVB
• UVB rays prompt vitamin D metabolism in the skin, but also promote sunburn fairly quickly
• UVA rays promote tanning, but they don’t play a role in vitamin D metabolism
• The UVA/UVB ratio in tanning beds can be modulated, and as you might expect, the beds deliver very high levels of UVA rays to maximize tanning, and very low levels of UVB rays to minimize burning

And that’s why they’re called “tanning beds” – not “vitamin D beds.”

If you want to get a genuine “thank you” from your body, spend 20 minutes in direct sunlight each day to maximize vitamin D metabolism.

Source:
“New Ads Claim Tanning is Good For You” Elisabeth Leamy and Allen Levine, ABC News, 3/27/08, abcnews.go.com