Case of Vitamin D 'Overdose' from Tanning Bed Use

Bottom Line: Tanning Beds Are Bad for Your Health

Let's be perfectly clear:

• The American Academy of Dermatology Association opposes indoor tanning and supports a ban on the production and sale of indoor tanning equipment for non- medical purposes.
• Studies have demonstrated that exposure to UV radiation during indoor tanning damages the DNA in the skin cells, and can lead to premature skin aging, immune suppression, and even eye damage, including cataracts and ocular melanoma.
• The American Academy of Dermatology does not recommend getting vitamin D from sun exposure or indoor tanning because ultraviolet rays from the sun and tanning beds can cause skin cancer.

While you may read that vitamin D is the cure-all for everything from cancer to inflammation, the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine has concluded that the evidence for associating vitamin D status with health benefits other than bone health is inconsistent, inconclusive as to causality, and insufficient to inform nutritional requirements.

What is conclusive? That unprotected UV exposure from the sun or indoor tanning devices is a known risk factor for development of skin cancer, including melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

Therefore, there is no justification to expose someone to UV radiation, a known carcinogen, for the purpose of increasing their vitamin D levels. End of discussion.

It is unclear to me what benefit the medical and lay communities are to gain from the case report. It could even undermine public health measures designed to prevent unnecessary exposure to a World Health Organization-designated cancer- causing agent: UV radiation from tanning beds.

5 Common Hygiene Myths You Shouldn’t Believe

Do you need to shower every day? Wash your hands with scalding-hot water? Here's the dirt, according to health experts.

Which Collagen Sources Should You Try?

From powders and gummies to foods and topicals, here’s a list of collagen sources ranked from best to worst.

Potentially Toxic Chemicals Called PFAS Are Common in Cosmetics, Study Finds

Lab tests suggest that more than half of cosmetics sold in the United States and Canada may contain high levels of the chemical. U.S. legislators recently...

6 Places You're Missing When You Apply Sunscreen

No matter how thorough your SPF routine, these are the spots experts say are often overlooked.

Ask a Castle Connolly Top Doctor: How Aging and Gravity Affect Your Skin

A renowned plastic surgeon, recognized as a Castle Connolly Top Doctor, discusses the factors that affect our skin’s appearance, and how patients can ...

California Bans 24 Toxic Chemicals From Personal-Care Products: What to Know

A bellwether state for federal efforts, California just became the first in the nation to ban certain chemicals from cosmetics and personal-care ingredients...

What Are the Benefits of Fish Oil for Your Hair?

Eating more whole fish with omega-3 fatty acids may help strengthen your tresses, but there’s limited evidence that fish oil pills will do the same.

Read more on: skin