Lifestyle

Tanning Beds Are Way Worse Than We Thought

by Ally Batista

We’re constantly reminded to wear SPF and avoid tanning beds at all costs. The direct and intense UV ray exposure is a surefire way to give yourself skin cancer, which is a lot more dangerous than most people think.

However, a recent study, published in the British Journal of Dermatology, is now claiming that tanning in tanning beds is even more dangerous than you once thought. Apparently, the risk of skin cancer from tanning beds is twice as dangerous as sunbathing for the same amount of time in the midday sun.

Lead researcher on the project, Professor Harry Moseley, consultant medical physicist at the University of Dundee, explained that the development of high-power sunlamps, along with clear failures of the sun bed industry to regulate themselves effectively, is putting young people at an even greater risk of skin cancer than was previously thought.

His team found that the risk of skin cancer was six times higher from tanning beds compared to direct natural sunlight exposure. In addition to this study, The World Health Organization has stated that sun beds are as lethal as cigarettes, and are listed as one of the most dangerous, cancer causing habits.

Please, reconsider your tanning habits.

Ally | Elite.

Photo Credit: Getty Images