Indoor Tanning: The Skin Cancer Risk You Don't Know About

An Update from the American Academy of Dermatology

UPDATE: The American Academy of Dermatology wants you to know about the dangers of indoor tanning. Research shows an increase in melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer, in females 15-29 years old, who make up 70 percent of indoor tanners. UV radiation from the sun and artificial sources like tanning beds is a known carcinogen, as declared by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Approximately one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime, yet on a given day, more than one million Americans use indoor tanning salons. The AAD wants to reduce the incidence and mortality from skin cancer and has launched public service advertisements to send this important message about your health.

Originally published in FITNESS magazine, May 2008.