Children under the age of 18 have been banned from indoor ultraviolet (UV) tanning in California. On October 9, 2011, Governor Jerry Brown signed the bill replacing the Filante Tanning Facility Act of 1988, which allowed minors aged 14 and older to tan with the permission of a parent or guardian. Senator Ted W. Lieu proposed what has become the nation’s strictest tanning law.  It will go into effect in January, 2012.

Close to 2.5 million teens tan indoors in the US every year, increasing their risk of developing melanoma by 75 percent. Indoor tanners are also 2.5 times more likely to develop squamous cell carcinoma, and 1.5 times more likely to develop basal cell carcinoma.

With the implementation of the United Kingdom’s Sunbeds (Regulation) Act on April 8, children under 18 years of age are now banned from using ultraviolet (UV) tanning devices in Great Britain. Tanning salon staff who allow minors to tan could be liable for fines up to 20,000 pounds (about $33,000).

It could save your life and your looks

Almost 36 percent of the women and 12.2 percent of the men aged 18-24 surveyed in a recent study tanned indoors in the last year, according to the journal Archives of Dermatology. These young people may believe they look better with a tan, but in fact they are putting themselves at risk for skin cancer and aging their skin prematurely.

According to a recent report, 18.1 percent of women and 6.3 percent of men tanned indoors in the past 12 months. Furthermore, in this Archives of Dermatology study of 2,869 white men and women between the ages of 18 and 64, just 13.3 percent of women and 4.2 percent of men knew that avoiding tanning beds could reduce their risk of skin cancer.

Tanning lamps and beds emit harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which is linked with a higher risk of all forms of skin cancer, including potentially deadly melanomas. On average, indoor tanners are 74 percent more like to develop melanomas than non-tanners. They are also 2.5 times more likely to develop squamous cell carcinoma and 1.5 times more likely to develop basal cell carcinoma.

The new federal law taxing individuals who use tanning salons went into effect on July 1.  This may discourage people from using tanning beds, which greatly increase a person’s risk of developing skin cancer.

A new study shows that indoor ultraviolet (UV) tanners are 74 percent more likely to develop melanoma than those who have never tanned indoors. The more time a person has spent tanning indoors, the higher the odds of developing the disease.  According to the study, the type of tanning machine used affects melanoma risk – some tanners were 4.44 times as likely as non-tanners to develop melanoma.

Indoor ultraviolet (UV) tanners are 74 percent more likely to develop melanoma than those who have never tanned indoors. Additionally, the more time a person has spent tanning indoors, the higher the risk. Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer, killing approximately 8,650 Americans in 2009. “We hope that these findings, along with what we already know about the risks of indoor tanning, will keep people from using tanning beds,” said Allan C. Halpern, MD, MSc, Chief of the Dermatology Service at New York City’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Vice President, The Skin Cancer Foundation.

In a study of 1,167 melanoma cases and 1,101 people without melanoma (controls) appearing in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, researchers, led by DeAnn Lazovich of the University of Minnesota, found that almost 63 percent of the melanoma patients but just over 51 percent of the control group had tanned indoors. Ultraviolet radiation from tanning machines is cancer-causing to humans, according to a 2009 report released by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), affiliated with the World Health Organization. The IARC also includes solar radiation in its list of the most dangerous types of cancer-causing substances.

In 2009, a working group of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), affiliated with the World Health Organization (WHO), added ultraviolet radiation (UVR) from tanning machines to its Group I list of the most carcinogenic (cancer-causing) forms of radiation. Citing evidence from years of international research on the relationship between indoor tanning and skin cancer, the IARC placed this type of UVR in a danger category alongside offenders such as radon, plutonium, and solar UVR.

"Jersey Shore"'s Snooki announced that "she does not want to die from skin cancer" on Wednesday’s edition of "Extra". The Skin Cancer Foundation’s Senior Vice President, Dr. Deborah S. Sarnoff, sat down with the cast of MTV’s hit show to discuss the dangers of tanning in an effort to put an end to their favorite motto "GTL", which stands for Gym, Tanning, Laundry. The intervention was successful and the "Jersey Shore" roommates plan to make the switch to spray tanning. Watch the entire segment and find out the results of Mike "The Situation's" skin exam, click here.