Why Tanning Beds Are Worse Than Sun

The uva radiation is up to three times more intense than the uva in natural sunlight and even the uvb intensity may approach that of bright sunlight.

Why tanning beds are worse than sun. The problem with uva rays is that they are more damaging to the skin than uvb rays. Tanning beds don t offer a safe alternative to natural sunlight. It doesn t matter where it s from. Most tanning beds use a combination of uva and uvb rays.

Avoid the sun midday when the rays are the strongest. No tanning beds are safe to use or recommended. Tanning beds some tanning advocates insist that indoor tanning is a healthy source of vitamin d and is much better than outdoor tanning. Ganz explains that the sun produces both uva and uvb rays.

Both indoor and outdoor tanning causes damage to our skin. Tanning beds use fluorescent bulbs that emit mostly uva with smaller doses of uvb. Tanning beds are not safer than the sun. Tanning beds emit roughly 12 times more uva light than natural sunlight.

Tanning beds use fluorescent bulbs that release uva and a smaller amount of uvb. They are so harmful that the world health organization has classified tanning beds as a carcinogen. Special uvb only tanning beds may be touted as safe but they still cause skin damage. Are tanning beds worse for you than the sun.

This is because uva light can reach deeper layers of skin than uvb rays causing damage to the deeper dermal. They do this to mimic the effects of sunlight resulting in a more natural looking tan. Science tells us that there s no such thing as a safe tanning bed tanning booth or sun lamp. Experts found a 75 percent increase in melanoma among those who first used tanning beds in their teens or 20s.

As for overstreet s contention that most melanoma is associated with a family history not so says fisher. They found use of the tanning beds before age 35 boosted the risk of melanoma by 75. But tanning beds damage your skin just like the sun does. Exposure to ultraviolet uv radiation damages your skin whether the exposure comes from tanning beds or natural sunlight.

We first learned about the harmful effects of sunlight from long term population studies. This is simply not the case. Exposure increases the risk of skin cancer premature skin aging and eye damage. Just one indoor tanning session can increase the risk of developing skin cancer melanoma by 20 squamous cell carcinoma by 67 and basal cell carcinoma by 29 1.

Piedmont hospital dermatologist jodi ganz warns thattanning beds are actually more dangerous than the sun.