Do Tanning Beds Have Any Benefits?

There is one answer:

No

Or rather, the answer is “no” unless we want to take some liberties about what we want to consider a benefit. For example:

• If the temporary aesthetic of a tan is a benefit to you, then that’s a benefit (but we urge you to value your health over that)
• If the experience of going there is a benefit to you, then that’s a benefit (but we urge you to find a comparable experience that’s less harmful)
• If… You know what, we’re already out of things that could even be reasonably considered a benefit (but we trust you get the point)

But, health benefits? Beyond any mental health benefits that could be better acquired through other means? No.

The closest thing to a counterexample could be that some will say (correctly) that a tanning bed will clear up acne.

But that’s a problem, not a benefit. Not because you pressingly needed the acne bacteria alive, but because irradiating your skin in such a manner that laid waste to your skin microbiome had two negative effects:

1. It killed the rest of your skin microbiome, too. Or at least most of it.
2. That same UV radiation is not any better for you than it was for those microbes.

For more on that first item, see: Your Skin Microbiome & The Sun ← because your microbiome can actually help protect you against the sun’s rays, but even they can and will be destroyed by the intense ferocity that is the UV radiation of a tanning bed.

Recently, researchers (Dr. Annika Marty et al.) compared medical records from 3,000 tanning bed users with similarly aged non-users and sequenced skin biopsies using technology focused on melanocytes and found that people who use tanning beds have nearly a 3x higher risk of melanoma compared with non-users, after adjusting for age, sunburn history, and family history.

Based on this research and more (i.e., the many other papers cited in the paper we’ll link below), it’s clear that sunbeds cause mutations in melanocytes, with tanning bed users showing nearly twice as many mutations, making skin cells more susceptible to cancer.

You can read the paper in full, here: Molecular effects of indoor tanning

It’s also worth noting that World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies tanning beds in the highest cancer risk category, alongside smoking and asbestos, with melanoma causing nearly 60,000 deaths per year.

So, please don’t let that be you or your loved ones.

Want to learn more?

We’ve tackled some related issues before, diving into the science, including:

The Sun Exposure Dilemma

…and:

Who Screens The Sunscreens?

And if you already have sun-damaged skin…

Undo The Sun’s Damage To Your Skin

Take care!