28 Interesting Tanning Facts

By Karin Lehnardt, Senior Writer

Published December 14, 2016Updated May 31, 2025

Radiation from just 10 indoor tanning sessions in two weeks can suppress a person’s cancer-fighting immune system._[8]
Even though vitamin D is important, the safest way to receive enough vitamin D is through diet rather than from sun exposure._[7]

Tanning breaks down the collagen and elastin fibers, causing wrinkles and loosened folds

Tanning can cause permanent structural damage to the skin, including wrinkling, age spots, and loss of elasticity._[7]
Two types of UV radiation that penetrate the skin are UVB and UVA rays. UVB rays penetrate the top layers of the skin and are the ones mainly responsible for sunburns. UVA rays penetrate to the deeper layers of skin and are associated with allergic reactions, such as a rash. Both damage the skin and both lead to cancer. Both types of radiation are emitted in tanning beds._[9]
Tanning can cause skin cancer, such as melanoma (the deadliest type of skin cancer), basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma. It can also cause cataracts and eye cancers (ocular melanoma)._[9]

Melanoma accounts for 5% of all skin cancers and 71% of all skin cancer deaths

In addition to cancer risks, frequent and intentional exposure to UV light can lead to an addiction to tanning, a condition colloquially known as “tanorexia.” Several studies have also found that those who are addicted to tanning also are more likely to suffer from anxiety or mood problems._[6]
Women who use tanning beds more than once a month are 55% more likely to develop melanoma._[6]
Melanoma is the most common cancer in young adults 25–29 years old and is the second most common form of cancer in adolescents and young adults 15–29 years old._[6]
Over 3,000 hospital ER cases per year are due to indoor tanning bed and lamp exposure._[6]
Indoor tanning is especially dangerous for younger people. Those who begin indoor tanning during adolescence or early adulthood have a higher risk of getting melanoma._[11]

The younger a person starts tanning, the more likely they will develop skin cancer

Sunless tanning is a safer alternative than sunbathing. The active ingredient in most sunless tanning products is the color additive dihydroxyacetone, which reacts with dead cells in the skin’s surface to temporarily darken the skin._[11]
Sunless tanning pills, which contain the color additive canthaxanthin, are unsafe. Large amounts of these pills can turn a person’s skin orange, cause hives, and cause liver damage and impaired vision._[11]
The number of skin cancer cases due to tanning is higher than the number of lung cancer cases due to smoking._[13]
The risk of basal cell carcinoma (BCC), which is a common nonmelanoma skin cancer, increases by 25% after only one or two indoor tanning sessions The risk soars to 73% after six or more sessions._[4]
Children of women who tan indoors are more likely to be indoor tanners themselves. Specifically, young women whose first indoor ultraviolet tanning experience is with their mothers are more than 4.6 times more likely to become heavy tanners themselves._[10]
The risk of melanoma increases by 75% if someone starts to use a tanning bed before the age of 35._[9]
Both outdoor and indoor tanning are dangerous. Any tan is the body’s response to injury from UV rays and is a sign of underlying DNA damage to skin cells._[4]

Both outdoor and indoor tanning are dangerous

Skin cancer is the world’s most common cancer._[11]
Government research links indoor tanning by teenagers with other risk behaviors, such as binge drinking, unhealthy dieting, and sexual activity._[2]
Studies show that individuals with highly sensitive skin were more likely than those with less sensitive skin to tan indoors in order to attain a pre-vacation tan. Additionally, indoor tanning is more common among people who have freckles and less common among women who reported having dark hair._[5]
Studies show that those who tan indoors are also more likely to engage in other sun exposure behaviors, such as sunbathing or not wearing sun-protective clothing. Additionally, they report having more sunburns than those who do not tan indoors._[5]

Tanning cannot replace actual light therapy

While tanning salons may advertise that indoor tanning helps relieve Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), the UV light in a tanning bed/lamp is not a component of light therapy. Light therapy acts through the eyes and requires visible, not UV, light._[12]
In ancient Egypt, a tan was a sign that a person was from the working class. Lighter skin was associated with nobility or those who didn't need to work in the sun._[3]
When CoCo Channel returned from a trip in the Mediterranean with a golden glow, tanned skin became dramatically more popular._[3]
While tanned skin has not always been in vogue, since the industrialization of the workforce in the West, tanned skin has been increasingly seen as attractive and fashionable._[5]
In the U.S., tanning beds emit 4 times the UVA radiation and 2 times the UVB radiation of the midday summer sun in Washington, DC. High-speed sunlamps emit a UVA dose 6 times, and high-pressure sunlamps 12 times, that of the Washington, DC, summer sun._[5]
In Victorian England, fair skin was associated with wealth and leisure, while tanner skin was associated with the working class and those who had to work outside in the sun._[3]
Base tans are not as helpful as many people think. They only offer protection equivalent to an SPF of about 3._[1]