Vitals Spotlight - We Give the Doctor an Exam

Dr. Mark Weinstock

What turns a strange shade of orange making everyone laugh and shudder all at the same time? It’s Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and a stream of “orangina” celebrities strutting down the red carpet freshly baked after a long session in the tanning bed.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (ACR) has bad news for tanning bed junkies here and all over the world, announcing last week that tanning beds and ultraviolet radiation are among the top cancer risks. They not only increase the risk of skin cancer by 75% if used before the age of 30, but are considered as lethal as arsenic, mustard gas or cigarettes.

“This is more information in support of the conclusion that tanning lights cause skin cancer,” says Dr. Martin A. Weinstock, professor of dermatology at Brown University and chair of the American Cancer Society’s skin cancer advisory board.

According to Vitals.com, Weinstock received his MD at Columbia University and completed his training in dermatology at Harvard University.

There’s a bill before state legislature that would prohibit anyone under the age of eighteen to use tanning beds unless accompanied by a parent. It wouldn’t be a moment too soon with melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, increasingly being diagnosed in women in their 20’s.

Kim Kardashian (usmagazine.com)

“Too often,” Dr. Weinstock says, “the tanning lights are used by people expecting more sun exposure in the near future, such as college students nearing spring break or summer recess. They may think a base tan will protect them from skin cancer, but in reality, the lights just act as radiation multiplier, further increasing their skin cancer risk.”

Exactly how attached are tanning junkies to their tanning beds? According to tabloids, Jennifer Aniston has two tanning beds in her home in case one burns out. Simon Cowell has a full solarium, complete with a tanning machine as well as a smaller “booster” facial tanner. Even former Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin is in on the Orangina action, and had one installed in the governor’s mansion in Juneau.

Hopefully the results of this study and the most recent statistics will help “tanaholics” see the light. The American Cancer Society estimated that in 2009 there will be 68,720 invasive melanomas diagnosed in the United State and 8,650 deaths. That seems like reason enough to keep the lid on the tanning bed and find safer ways to enjoy the outdoors!

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Tan Comparison, Designer Valentino and Anne Hathaway (blogcdn.com, tmz.com)