According to a review of all studies done up until March 2006 investigating the relationship between tanning bed use and cancer, the use of sunbeds before age 35 can substantially increase the risk of developing melanoma, the most deadly type of skin cancer.

Men and women who had ever used sunbeds at any point in their lives were 15 percent more likely to develop melanoma. Exposure to tanning beds before age 35 increased melanoma risk by 75 percent.

There was also a link between tanning bed use and squamous cell carcinoma, a less-deadly type of skin cancer, but no link between tanning beds and basal cell carcinoma, another common skin cancer variety.

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

With the calendar crossing into spring in the northern hemisphere, you may be noticing the steady traffic of sun worshippers, especially younger folks, heading to the local salon to get a jump on their new tan.

Unfortunately, that early start can greatly increase your risk of melanoma. In theory, a tanning bed can be safe, but the practical reality is that most all commercial tanning beds are accidents waiting to happen.

Although no link was found to basal cell carcinoma in the study, this could be because that particular type of cancer has a long latency period, and tanning beds and salons haven't been around for very long. It's very possible the potential risks to your health over the long term could be even worse than is already known.

It is interesting though how this study only shows you a partial truth. It does not at all differentiate between safe and unsafe tanning beds. 

Why?

Because the investigators are clueless and don't understand that conventional tanning beds use magnetic ballasts that emit high levels of EMF that can contribute to the cancers. They just assume it is the bulb's UV light that is causing the problem when in fact it is the unsafe equipment.

That said, however, a few parlors use safer equipment, namely bulbs using electronic ballasts instead of magnetic ballasts that generate harmful EMFs. The EMF decreases by one over the square root of the distance from the bulb. In simpler terms, it drops off very rapidly the farther you are away from the ballast, but in a tanning bed one is only several inches away from the magnetic ballast.

Safe tanning parlors remove the magnetic ballast and replace it with a very quiet and much more efficient electronic ballast.

If you haven't already watched my video on this then please do as the page also has a list of relatively safer commercial tanning facilities.

The real key to protecting your health: Limit your initial exposure to the sun and never get sunburned.

Related Articles:

Tanning Beds Increase Cancer Threat

Can a Tanning Bed Be Healthy?

Are Tanning Beds Safe?