The use of tanning lamps significantly increases the risk of various kinds of cancers, according to a study published this month by researchers from the Dartmouth Medical School.
The study has attracted the attention of local tanning bed operators, who claim that they are aware of the risks and use safe tanning methods.
The study, authored by DMS epidemiologist Margaret Karagas, found that the use of tanning lamps may more than double the risk of squamous-cell skin cancer and may also increase the risk of basal cell skin cancer by 150 percent.
According to Karagas, risk also increases in younger tanners, with those under 20 in the greatest danger.
In spite of the study, local tanning bed operators are confident that they are doing everything possible to keep tanning safe for clients.
Hanover Hot Tubs owner Eric White said he keeps records of his clients' lamp usage, monitors if they redden or burn and requires the use of goggles during tanning.
"We do it our way," White said, "and it's a gradual process." When a client signs up for a tanning appointment, White consults his records or, if the client is new, asks when the tanner last tanned. He then limits tanning time accordingly.
"We operate in a controlled environment, and I have the control -- the tanners don't," White said.
Dave Gaudet, owner of the new Hanover beauty salon Ivy League Cuts and Tans, utilizes similar safety measures. He also limits tanning time and monitors his clients.
"Sun burning causes cancer, not sun tanning," Gaudet claimed. "We won't let people burn."
Gaudet also said that doctors sometimes recommend tanning to their patients for some skin conditions. "If a doctor puts you under ultraviolet light, they call it therapy. We call it tanning," he said. "They get 60 bucks, we get six bucks."
Karagas, however, cannot support any claims in favor of tanning lamps.
Her recent study is the first phase of a larger project, with future studies examining time spent tanning, frequency of tanning visits and whether or not tanners burned under tanning lamps.
"At this point, we don't know what's safe and what's not," Karagas said.
The recent study included nearly 1,500 New Hampshire residents from 25 to 74 years of age. Further studies will include more residents of New England.
Karagas said that the study will continue to be based in New England because of her network of dermatologists here. "The network is a unique and valuable resource," she said.
Funded by the National Cancer Institute, the study is unique because it focuses on squamous-cell and basal-cell cancer -- not melanoma, a more commonly examined form of cancer. Squamous-cell and basal-cell cancer have the most frequent malignancy in humans.
Karagas published the study in the Feb. 6 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. DMS professor of medicine and surgery Dr. Steven Spencer and Brown Medical School professor of dermatology Martin Weinstock co-authored the study with Dartmouth researchers Virginia Stannard, Mary Jo Slattery and Leila Mott.
While Karagas completes her research, Hanover Hot Tubs will continue their careful administration of tanning, according to White.
At a place like Dartmouth, where sunlight is scarce during the winter months, tanning salons are beneficial, he said, adding that Karagas' study will help to keep tanning salons more informed about the science of their business.
And it is a valuable business, according to White. "Tanning makes people feel better," he said. "It brings their spirits up."
