Ban on minors in tanning beds urged

The American Academy of Dermatology has joined the World Health Organization in recommending that no one under age 18 be allowed to use a tanning bed.

Dr. Paul Harrison, a dermatologist, thinks it will probably take having a senator's 22-year-old daughter die of melanoma caused by years of tanning to get Congress to act on the issue. But he sees the ravages in ever-younger patients every day in his office.

Some are disfigured by basal or squamous cell cancers. And some of them will be killed by malignant melanoma.

In 1996, when he saw a 34-year-old with basal cell cancer, he thought it was odd and premature. "Now we're seeing all kinds of UV-related cancers in patients in their 20s," he said. "And more and more bizarre moles that have changed and become malignant. And I'm not seeing one strange mole but six of them."

In his Sandy office, he estimates that "easily one-third to one-half" of his patients are there for skin cancer work. "My day is full checking on moles."

The incidence of the most deadly form of skin cancer, melanoma, is on the rise in Utah, according to Kathryn Rowley, program director of the Utah Cancer Control Program of the state Health Department. Concern is so great that this year's U-CAN education campaign targets kids, she said.

The amount of outdoor activity and sports, not to mention high altitude, likely account for most of that increase, she said. "But if people are using tanning beds and getting burned, they are at risk, too."

"While many health issues are complex and involve multiple factors, we know that ultraviolet light is the primary cause of skin cancer and avoiding excessive exposure to the sun and other forms of ultraviolet radiation is the solution," said Dr. Clay J. Cockerell, a dermatologist and president of the academy, in a statement released Thursday.

"Indoor tanning is particularly troubling because it is so unnecessary," he said. "It is not associated with playing sports or other outdoor activities but is practiced solely for cosmetic reasons. Individuals who utilize tanning beds are intentionally putting their health at risk."

Dermatologists believe just telling youths tanning is harmful is not enough. Hence the proposal to ban access to the beds until they attain majority.

Rowley remembers well the optimism of youth. "I wasn't concerned at all about when I turned 50," she said, so just warning of future consequences may not do much.