It can be tempting to visit a tanning booth for a quick tan. However, this is highly discouraged and poses several risks to the skin, which we enumerate in this article.
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Artificial Tanning: What are the Risks to the Skin?
- Artificial tanning equates to prolonged exposure to the sun without protection
- Artificial tanning increases the risk of skin cancers
- Artificial tanning promotes wrinkles and skin sagging
- Artificial tanning increases the risks of hyperpigmentation
- Artificial tanning is particularly risky for certain individuals
- Sources
Artificial tanning equates to prolonged exposure to the sun without protection.
Now prohibited for minors, tanning booths are typically the place where artificial tanning is performed. The goal of this method is to stimulate the skin's production of melanin in order to achieve a sun-kissed complexion without sun exposure. However, when you settle into a tanning booth for a 15-minute session, it equates to unprotected exposure to the sun for approximately 2 to 3 hours. The artificial UV rays used in these booths are indeed more intense and more energetic than the sun's natural rays. Consequently, they are more dangerous.
Artificial tanning increases the risk of skin cancers.
The light emitted by tanning booths produces more UVA and UVB rays than the sun. However, while UVB rays remain on the surface of the epidermis and are responsible "only" for sunburns, UVA rays penetrate deeper and reach the dermis, where they stimulate the generation of free radicals. These reactive molecules attack and damage DNA, potentially causing genetic mutations and leading to skin cancers.
The risk of developing skin melanoma represents the main danger associated with artificial tanning. Indeed, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified UV tanning beds as "carcinogenic" and estimated that exposure to artificial UV rays before the age of 30 increases the risk of developing melanoma by 75%.
A study was indeed conducted in 2012 by Public Health France, which concluded that approximately 4.6% of cases of skin melanomas, or 347 annual cases were attributable to the use of tanning beds. Furthermore, this institute estimated that between 19 and 76 deaths that occurred that year were attributable to the regular practice of artificial tanning.
Artificial tanning promotes wrinkles and skin sagging.
In the same vein, artificial tanning accelerates premature skin aging due to thedamage to cells and certain fibrous proteins by free radicals. This results in the formation of wrinkles and sagging of the skin surface. It's also worth noting that the effects of repeated artificial tanning can be more visible and severe compared to sun tanning.
Artificial tanning increases the risks of hyperpigmentation.
The intense UV rays emitted by artificial tanning beds are designed to stimulate the synthesis of melanin. However, this production is not always evenly distributed. It happens that clusters of melanin deposit in certain areas of the dermis or epidermis, thereby causing brown spots. Without exposure to artificial UV rays, they often naturally appear around the age of fifty and highlight a lifetime of sun exposure. Tanning beds accelerate this process and can lead to the development of brown spots much earlier.
Artificial tanning is particularly risky for certain individuals.
In summary, artificial tanning concentrates and amplifies all the dangers posed by sun exposure. While tanning beds are discouraged for everyone, some individuals are particularly at risk. These are the lightest skin types, naturally less protected from UV rays.
Biologically, this can be explained by the low proportion of certain pigments such as melanin, hemoglobin, or carotenoids in these individuals. Additionally, the type of melanin they synthesize (pheomelanin) is lighter and less protective. Therefore, tanning beds are highly discouraged for people with fair skin.
We also recommend that individuals with a high number of moles avoid artificial tanning. Indeed, these individuals are predisposed to developing cutaneous melanoma, and a session in a tanning booth could only exacerbate this already significant risk.
Sources
HALPERN A. & others. Sunless tanning. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (2004).
CRANE J. & et al. Prevention of Skin Cancer. Statpearls (2022).
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