Tanning beds have been a subject of controversy for many years with many dermatologists warning about the risk of developing skin cancer, and still, many people, especially women, are not convinced about the harmful effects of tanning. It is amazing how many of us choose a chocolate-like skin over a healthy skin although there is plenty of evidence that ultraviolet rays, no matter their source, cause skin cancer.

According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 60,000 people each year die from overexposure to ultraviolet light, mostly from malignant melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. Skin cancer is the most common malignancy in the US, with 1 million new cases in 2008. Also one in five people is estimated to develop some type of skin cancer during their lifetime.

Given the high number of people dying from skin cancer, it is clear that there are still people disregarding health officials’ recommendations of avoiding sun exposure or tanning beds. The idea is highly detailed in three papers published in the journal Pigment Cell and Melanoma Research. Their authors state there is no such thing like “safe tan” although many campaigns urge people to get a tan saying that moderate tanning is completely safe because exposure to ultraviolet provides the necessary quantity of vitamin D for the body.

“We wanted to counter the marketing and a response to the misperception of the true cost/benefit analysis of UV radiation,” said Dr. David Fisher, director of the Melanoma Program in Medical Oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, president of the Society of Melanoma Research, and author of one of the other papers in the journal.

“Whereas genetic and other factors undoubtedly contribute importantly to skin cancer risk, the role of UV is incontrovertible, and efforts to confuse the public, particularly for purposes of economic gain by the indoor tanning industry, should be vigorously combated for the public health,” Dr. Fisher and colleagues concluded.

The other two papers belong to Dr. Marianne Berwick, an epidemiologist at the University of New Mexico Cancer Research and Treatment Centre, and Dr. Dorothy C Bennett, a dermatologist at the Division of Basic Medical Sciences, St George's, University of London, London, UK.

The studies call for a ban on publicity that claims tanning beds are safe, one thing the WHO has long supported saying the UV rays may have negative effects in the long run.