Tanning beds are a well-known and used by almost all men and women of all ages. Nowadays, tanning beds can be found in approximately each country of the world. Actually, their use is on the rise among the younger generation, where tans are equated with a healthy, athletic way of life. Unfortunately the almost 30 million people who use these beds are taking dangers with their health.

A recent study details the increased risk associated with melanoma. This is one of the largest research to evaluate the skin cancer risk that tanning beds pose. It included 1,167 melanoma patients, as well as a control assembly consisting of age- and gender-matched people. Experts found an amplified risk among users of tanning beds, whether they were high-speed machines and high-pressure machines. Those people who used tanning beds had a 74 percent growth risk for melanoma compared to those who never frequented this kind of salon. The danger triples for people who spend more than 50 hours in the tanning bed.

Sharon Miller, M.S.E.E., a Food and Drug Administration scientist and international specialist on UV radiation and tanning mentioned some people think that a tan gives them a ‘healthy’ glow, any tan is a sign of skin damage. He also said that a tan is the reaction of skin to exposure to UV rays. Recognizing exposure to the rays as an ‘insult,’ the skin acts in self-protection by producing more melanin, a pigment that darkens the skin. After a while, this damage will lead to prematurely aged skin and, in some cases, can lead to the appearance of skin cancer.

Many government organizations caution against tanning. According to NCI report, yet of the more than 68,000 people in the United States who will learn they have melanoma this year and one out of eight will die from it. Additionally, the American Academy of Dermatology declared that melanoma is the second most widespread cancer in women 20 to 29 years old. Long-term exposure to UV rays, whether from the sun or a tanning bed, amplifies the risk of increasing skin cancer. Though, there are some options. Instead of using a tanning bed, the American Cancer Society recommend people to use sunless self-tanning creams, lotions or sprays along with usual skin checks by your doctor or dermatologist.