Doc Says Tanning Industry ‘Makes Misleading Claims’

Celeste Robb-Nicholson, MD, editor-in-chief of the Harvard Women's Health Watch newsletter, responds to the question, “Does tanning in a tanning bed cause less damage than natural sunlight?” in the September edition. She says no.

Robb-Nicholson goes on to say that, “The tanning industry makes misleading claims for the healthfulness of indoor tanning. One claim is that it helps build a base that protects against sunburn. It does, but only slightly—the equivalent of a sunscreen rated SPF 4 or less. Another claim is that tanning is a good way to stimulate the skin's production of vitamin D, a hormone that's essential to bone health and has been linked to a reduced risk for several cancers. But you can get all the vitamin D you need in a daily vitamin D supplement, which offers all the benefits without any of the risks to your skin.”

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Harvard Women's Health Watch : By The Way, Doctor: Is A Tanning Bed Safer Than Sunlight?