ASDSA commends FDA's proposed age restriction for tanning bed use

The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery Association has commended the recent FDA proposal restricting tanning bed use to individuals aged 18 years and older.

“The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery Association [ASDSA] will actively support the FDA’s efforts to protect young people from the hazards of indoor tanning,” Naomi Lawrence, MD, ASDSA president, said in a press release. “Prohibiting access to indoor tanning for minors will make a significant difference in reducing their risk of developing skin cancer.”

Naomi Lawrence

While indoor tanning is a known contributor to skin cancer, including melanoma, there are 1.6 million minors who use indoor tanning each year, according a separate press release by the FDA

“[The] action is intended to help protect young people from a known and preventable cause of skin cancer and other harms,” acting FDA Commissioner Stephen Ostroff, MD, stated in the FDA release on Dec. 18. “Individuals younger than 18 years are at greatest risk of the adverse health consequences of indoor tanning.”

The proposed age restriction mirrors a stance taken in an ASDSA board-approved position statement, according to the association’s release.

ASDSA’s position statement notes that “melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer, has been linked to indoor tanning,” according to the release. “As a common cause of melanoma … consumers should be protected from the sea of misinformation about this dangerous activity. Concurrently, minors, amongst whom tanning is especially dangerous and prevalent, should be banned from the use of indoor tanning devices to protect them from the dangers of skin cancer associated with tanning at a young age.”

There has been an ongoing move by states toward implementing tanning restrictions, the ASDSA reports. According to ASDSA data, California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas, Vermont, Washington and Washington, D.C., have banned the use of tanning beds for all minors, and 42 states regulate the use of tanning facilities by minors, the release reported.

The FDA also is proposing that before their first tanning session, and every 6 months thereafter, adults older than 18 would be required to sign a risk acknowledgment certification “that states that they have been informed of the risks to health that may result from use of sunlamp products,” according to the agency’s release.

Reference: www.asdsa.asds.net