More Reasons to Avoid Tanning Beds

Ok, no one is going to say that tanning bed exposure isn’t bad for you. It is. Big time. People in the industry call them “cancer boxes.” Yikes. In any event, there is news coming out now that saying that if you’re on certain types of medication, you are at a high risk for complications and problems. I’ve always been told that if you have a few areas of blemishes or eruptions, a trip through the tanning bed can clear it up—or at least get it under control. Well. Maybe not so much.

If you are “self diagnosing,” which if you’re honest, we all kind of are, and sending yourself to the tanning bed, you could be in trouble. If your skin eruptions are actually eczema or psoriasis, the tanning bed could help. BUT, if the eruption is caused by a reaction to your medication, tanning beds are dangerous.

For instance, there was a study about a patient that went to the tanning bed for a mild skin rash. Apparently the patient didn’t realize that they had an allergy to ibuprofen. They did the tanning bed, the skin hyper reacted to the UV light and the patient was covered in severe blisters. It was called toxic epidermal necrolysis or TEN, this is a life-threatening skin disorder that can attack your skin and other tissues. TEN can cause hemorrhaging, respiratory failure, vision abnormalities and digestive track complications, even a multi-system organ failure.

The next study took notice of a patient’s skin and noticed very high levels of protein that was the reason for their inflamed skin. The researchers used lab tests and studies to show that normal skin cells when exposed to the protein for inflammation and UV radiation (of the tanning bed variety) produced HUGE levels of protein. So, if you already have too much protein and you do tanning beds, it creates more protein and you can see more allergic reactions.

Don’t get me wrong, everyone looks better with a pop of bronze, a little touch of sun. The perceived benefits of tanning beds are just that—perceived. I hope we are way over the whole “let me cure my rashes with a tanning bed.” I think they’re gross, I think that they are awful AWFUL for your skin. I think that a little glow is fine, but with the technological advances in self-tanning lotions, there’s really no reason to do these tanning beds.

The bottom line—tanning beds are bad news. Go see your derm before you sit in one, just in case.

Have a great day!!

toodles