Around 3,200 People Suffered an Indoor Tanning Injury in the U.S.

Why around? Because many indoor tanning injuries go unreported. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently published results from a study conducted on the dangerous practice from those that were. They found that around 3,200 individuals suffered an indoor tanning injury of some type every year in the United States between 2003 and 2012. The results of that study can be found at the links below along with the interpretations by different media outlets courtesy of the American Academy of Dermatology. It’s important to remember that there is no such thing as a “safe tan” or “base tan” when it comes to your skin and no reason to ever use an indoor tanning device or tanning bed. Practice safe sun practices and encourage others to do the same. You may just save a life or at least prevent an injury.

CDC Study: About 3,200 People Suffered An Indoor Tanning Injury Every Year In The US Between 2003 And 2012.

USA Today (12/16, Painter) reports that a study by CDC researchers published in JAMA Internal Medicine indicates that “an estimated 1,957 indoor tanners landed in U.S.” emergency departments (EDs) “in 2012 after burning their skin or eyes, fainting or suffering other injuries.” CDC researcher Gery Guy “says the actual number of injuries is certainly higher because the study did not include injured people who did not go to” EDs.

The Today Show Online (12/16) reports that for the study, the investigators “looked at 405 actual reports of indoor tanning related injuries from 66 hospitals, extrapolated them to the whole population, and estimated that on average, 3,200 people suffered an indoor tanning injury every year in the U.S. between 2003 and 2012.”

The Washington Post (12/16, Bernstein) “To Your Health” blog reports that “skin burns are the most common injury and women are more than four times as likely as men to get hurt, probably because they are, by far, the more common practitioners of ‘indoor tanning,’ according to the” study. The blog adds that “younger adults, aged 18-34, sustain well more than half the injuries, again because they are the most frequent users of tanning beds.”

The AP (12/16, Tanner) reports, “The CDC says burns severe enough to require” ED “treatment indicate overexposure to UV radiation.” Although “manufacturers are required to install timers to limit exposure…the CDC study found some patients had fallen asleep while tanning.”

TIME (12/16, Oaklander) reports that Guy said “We saw plenty of eye injuries,” which “is concerning because it’s not only an acute injury…but it also puts you at risk for certain conditions down the road, like cataracts or eye melanoma.” The researchers “also noted other sources for eye injuries, like when tanning bulbs broke and shattered into people’s eyes, Guy adds.”

Reuters (12/16, Doyle) reports that Guy said, “It’s important for people to understand both the long-term and the short-term risks of indoor tanning.” HealthDay (12/16, Reinberg) also covers the story.