BBC News reports:
Previously, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) assessed sunbeds and sunlamps as “probably carcinogenic to humans”.
But it now says their use is definitively “carcinogenic to humans”.
Duh! Did anyone not know this? I heard someone in the business saying something about a gradual tan being protective and that it’s sudden, high exposure to UV that’s harmful. I didn’t argue, but I knew it had to be a crock of shit.
It made its decision following a review of research which concluded that the risk of melanoma – the most deadly form of skin cancer – was increased by 75% in people who started using sunbeds regularly before the age of 30.
In addition, several studies have linked sunbed use to a raised risk of melanoma of the eye.
Melanoma will kill you, boys and girls. Looking good for a few years isn’t worth it. Besides, people who tan a lot develop tough, leathery skin. Think about your appearance in 10 or 20 years. Or how good you will look with all the scars from excised moles and without any hair because of chemotherapy.
