Hundreds of Millions of Dollars in Healthcare Costs Linked to Tanning Beds

Tanning has never been more popular. Whether its because studies have shown that darker regularly gets rated as more attractive, or that popular celebrities the world over continue to radiate a golden brown glow, the tanning trend shows no sign of slowing down. Unfortunately, lying in a tanning bed has been linked to skin cancer. In fact, Reuter's reported on new research that shows up to $343 million dollars in healthcare costs have resulted because of the adverse effects of tanning beds. Some experts say that the cost of not only medical bills, but workforce productivity and early deaths, will raise that price to over $120 billion dollars over the patients’ lifetime. In 2015, tanning bed use resulted in nearly 9,000 melanoma cases, over 165,000 squamous cell carcinoma cases, and over 85,000 basal cell carcinoma cases. According to StatNews.com, 30 million people use tanning beds each year, and a quarter of those are teens. It’s estimated that a young woman who uses a tanning bed are at greater risk – up to 75% greater – of developing melanoma. The numbers are staggering. And while excess natural sun exposure can result in melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and basal cell carcinoma, tanning beds can actually increase the likelihood of getting these types of cancers. The culprits are the UVA and UVB rays. The UVA rays damage DNA, while the UVB rays burn the skin. Why take the chance of ruining your health? Save money and heartache by avoiding tanning beds.