By Arianne S. Kourosh, MD, and Heidi Jacobe, MD, MSCS Decades of
research and hundreds of thousands of skin cancer-related deaths
have demonstrated that there is no such thing as a “healthy
tan.” Despite increased public awareness of the link between
skin cancer and ultraviolet radiation (UV) from both the sun and
tanning beds, relatively few tanners have converted to non-UV
options. Nor has the increasing number of sunless tanning
products available significantly reduced UV tanning. Why not? A
growing body of research indicates that for frequent tanners, a
direct effect on mood may be motivating many people to lie in
the sun or in a tanning bed. As with people who need a drink or
a cigarette, some tanners’ feelings of elation and relief may
eclipse their awareness of the threat of skin cancer and
premature skin aging.1 This research raises the question: are
the effects of tanning more than skin deep? A TANNING EPIDEMIC
In the US, where the lifetime risk of developing invasive
melanoma has risen to 1 in 51.2