A recent study called the "Skin Health Study" was released that showed a 4 fold increase in malignant melanoma for users of UVA tanning beds. The study was started in 2004 by DeAnn Lazovich Ph.D. and her colleagues at the University of Minnesota.

The study was completed in Minnesota and used 1,167 cases of melanoma and 1,101 controls. The melanoma cases were betweent he ages of 25 to 29 years of age and had been diagnosed with melanoma between July 2004 and December 2007. the controls were selected from the Minnesota states drivers license list.

All of the participants completed a questionnaire and then a 1 hour phone interview. What they found was that there was a significant increase in the risk of melanoma with increased indoor tanning. The final results showed that users of the high speed UVB tanning beds were 2.9 times more likely and the high pressure UVA besd were 4.4 times more likely to develop melanoma.

So as you can see our continued recommendation is to ABSOLUTELY avoid the use of indoor tanning beds. They have shown that the use of tanning beds is significantly worse that the sun exposure alone. Not only are the tanning beds and tanning aging you but they significantly increase your risk of death from cancer. We also recommend wearing a good sunblock daily and reapply every 2 hours if you are out in the direct sun.

Lornell E. Hansen II, M.D.
Owner/Medical Director
LazaDerm Skin Care Centre
Sioux Falls and Sioux City