As more and more people become aware of the link between sun exposure and skin cancer, sunless tanning has been gaining more popularity. The use of tanning devices has now been more clearly linked than ever to the two most common forms of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Tanning beds are not perceived as a safe way to achieve that golden tan you want without putting you at risk of getting skin cancers. Researchers at Dartmouth Medical School in Lebanon, NH, interviewed 603 BCC and 293 SCC patients (plus 540 healthy subjects) about their sunbed and sunlamp use, their history of sun exposure, and other skin cancer risk factors. With all factors accounted for, tanning device users had 2.5 times the risk of SCC and 1.5 times the risk of BCC, compared to non-users. This finding was published in an article in the March 2002 issue of Sun & Skin News, a publication of The Skin Cancer Foundation.

Lead author Margaret R. Karagas, PhD stated that the study suggested that tanning lamp use might increase the incidence of nonmelanoma skin cancers. Previous studies have shown that people exposed to full-body tanning salon sessions have a significant increase in skin repair proteins typically associated with sun damage, and that women who frequent tanning parlors have a greater incidence of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

Self-tanning creams and lotions have become a popular choice for people who are health-conscious and concerned about sun safety. Self-tanning products, also called ''sunless'' tanning lotions, contain dihydroxyacetone (DHA), a colorless sugar that interacts with dead surface cells in the epidermis, staining the skin darker. The effect is temporary, because as the dead cells naturally slough off, the color fades, disappearing within a week unless the lotion has been reapplied. That's a lot more healthful than a suntan. Although suntans also start fading after a few days, the harm done to the skin is permanent. Getting a suntan breaks down the DNA in skin cells, but using self-tanners causes no such damage. At worst, sunless tanning products present a minimal risk of irritant or allergic reactions.

Recent research shows, furthermore, that while DHA provides only minimal SPF protection against the sun's shorter-wave, UVB rays, higher DHA concentrations that turn the skin darker may provide extra protection against the sun's longer-wave, UVA rays, which, like UVB, are linked to premature skin aging (photoaging) and skin cancer. The DHA in self-tanning lotions offers protection equivalent to an SPF of only 2 to 4. For adequate protection an SPFs of 15 or higher are required. So even if a product has a high concentration of DHA, it must also contain an SPF 15+ sunscreen if you want to be properly protected. It must be remembered, however, that this protection only lasts a few hours, not for the duration of the color change. Hence, the need to frequently reapplying sunscreen every two hours or so.

Sunless tanning lotions now come in light, medium, and dark tones. People with dry skin can buy brands with emollients or humectants added for softness and moisture, while people with oily skin may find that gel or alcohol-based products work better.

The Skin Cancer Foundation cautioned consumers not to be misled by products which sound like self-tanning lotions. "Tanning amplifiers," "tan accelerators," "bronzers," "tanning promoters," "tanning enhancers," and worst of all, "tanning pills" are not equivalent to self-tanning products. Bronzers are merely a form of coloring, like tinted makeup, and offer little or no protection. Many of the other products interact with the sun to create the tan, so they actually end up accentuating the damage done to the skin. Tanning pills which contain the carotenoid chemical canthaxanthin (the same pigment found in carrots) have been associated with hepatitis and urticaria, a condition that involves relentless itching and skin eruptions.

Suggested Reading:

The Skin Cancer Foundation website at http://www.skincancer.org