The desire to stay tan even during times when the sun isn’t shining has caused Americans to spend over $5 billion dollars yearly on tanning.

But what are the risks of wanting to keep that tan all year long?  A new risk assesment by the International Agency for Research on Cancer found that tanning beds are as certain to cause cancer as smoking.

Tanning beds, like the one above, have been found to be a major cause of melanoma (skin cancer).

Our firm’s San Diego personal injury attorneys believe that although being tan may look nice it is not worth the risk of getting skin cancer that will in turn cause you an immense amount of pain and suffering.  There are many alternatives you can use that will get you tan without the risk of cancer, including spray tanning.

As far as cancer risks go, sun beds and all types of ultraviolet rays are now ranked in the highest risk group, the same group as plutonium and radium.  Sun beds and UV rays are now considered “carcinogenic to humans.”  Using a tanning bed raised the risk of developing skin cancer (melanoma) by 75 percent in users that started tanning before the age of 30.

Melanoma originates in melanocytes (a type of skin cells) that make skin tan or brown and protect the deeper layer from the sun, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).  In 2009, the ACS estimates that 68,720 new cases of melanoma will be diagnosed and 8,650 wrongful deaths will be caused from it.

The researchers also said UV-A rays are now deemed certain to cause skin cancer.  UV-B rays — another skin cancer-cause — had already been classified in the most dangerous category.

Our personal injury attorneys in San Diego know that there are many safe products on the market that allow you to get a tan without exposure to harmful cancer causing sunrays.  Many lotions, which you can find at your local supermarket, enhance your tan by simply rubbing it on.  Even tanning salons offer an alternative to harmful UV-A rays in a procedure called spray tan in which you get sprayed with bronzer in order to get the appearance of being in the sun.

Does the desire to stay tan outweigh the risk potentially having to undergo medical treatment for skin cancer?

Please contact us for a free consultation with an experienced San Diego car accident attorney — we speak both English and Spanish — at (800) 655-6585.   Click here and you may also submit your case for a Free Review.  No fee if no recovery.