On January 1, 2015, theAustralia took a final decision and banned tanning beds as Brazil had already done in 2009. A resolution intended to fight against the proliferation of skin cancer and to protect the younger generations.
The Academy of Medicine once again calls on the French public authorities to follow this position and recalls the dangers of tanning booths.
“Since 2003, we have alerted the public authorities and warned the French population about the risks associated with exposure to artificial UV (UVA)”, explains the Academy in a press release. And since the positions of some health authorities confirm the risks of tanning booths. In 2009, this practice was classified in the group of certain carcinogens to humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). In 2011, the National Institute for Sanitary Surveillance (InVs) noted that the number of melanoma tripled between 1980 and 2005 in France, reaching 9,780 new cases and 1,620 deaths.
The harmful effects of tanning booths
Tanning booths expose clients to artificial ultraviolet light. But, to tan in this type of device, you have to spend a lot of time. “Exposure to UVA rays is only accompanied by pigmentation of the skin if it is significant and therefore the cause of cellular damage” recalls the Academy in its press release.
This practice of artificial tanning does not provide any of the health benefits claimed by tanning professionals. Indeed, the contribution of active vitamin D is not linked to the action of UVA rays.
UVA exposure is not accompanied by pigmentation or thickening of the epidermis, which would participate in effective protection of the skin. Finally, in the treatment of seasonal depression, UVA rays are not useful and only light therapy can have some effectiveness.
“France must vote for the total ban on tanning booths in France,” except for medical use “in the context of dermatological diseases” concludes the Academy.
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