Welcome to Sun Blocked, Refinery29’s global call-to-action to wake up to the serious dangers of tanning. No lectures or shaming, we promise. Instead, our goal is to arm you with the facts you need to protect your skin to the best of your ability, because there’s no such thing as safe sun.
Let’s state the obvious: Using a tanning bed is life-threatening. The reality is that just one tanning bed session before age 35 can increase your chances of developing melanoma by 75%. And yet we continue to tan. According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association, 40% of 18 to 25 year olds are unaware of the risks of tanning (including premature aging and an increased chance of developing melanoma skin cancer). In fact, 20% say that getting a tan is more important than preventing skin cancer. It’s clear that we have a serious public health problem on our hands — and it's time to do something about it.
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That’s why Refinery29 is partnering with the Skin Cancer Foundation to call on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to finalize rules first proposed in 2015 that would prohibit minors from using tanning beds and require an acknowledgement of the associated risks from adult users, among other changes, as soon as possible. Enforcing such rules could save lives and reduce the number of melanoma skin cancer cases across the country, especially among younger people whose risk for harm increases with tanning bed use during adolescence.
This action is not impossible. Currently, 44 states and the District of Columbia ban or regulate indoor tanning devices for those who are age 18 and under, joining countries like Brazil and Australia, which have done so, too. Now, we need enforceable measures that will protect us nationally. Enacting these rules would be an important step forward in the fight against skin cancer.
We hope that you’ll join us in voicing your support of banning tanning bed use for minors in the US by signing this letter to the FDA. Remember, no tan is ever worth the risk.