Nearly one in three white women ages 18 to 21 have used indoor-tanning salons, despite the risks of wrinkles and skin cancer, according to two studies released on Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Cancer Institute.
The studies also found young adults are at an increasing risk for developing skin cancer, with 50 percent of people ages 18 to 29 reporting at least one sunburn in the past year.
“More public-health efforts, including providing shade and sunscreen in recreational settings, are needed to raise awareness of the importance of sun protection and sunburn prevention to reduce the burden of skin cancer,” said Marcus Plescia, the director of CDC’s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, in a statement.“We must accelerate our efforts to educate young adults about the dangers of indoor tanning to prevent melanoma as this generation ages.”
Indoor tanning before age 35 increases a person’s risk of getting melanoma by 75 percent, according to the CDC.
The 2010 health care law imposed a 10 percent excise tax on indoor-tanning salons, both to try to discourage their use and to help pay for implementing the law.
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