For Some, Tanning Beds Bring a Lifetime of Regrets

July 30, 2009 — -- For Mary Ann Gerber, every glance in the mirror is a reminder of the hours she spent tanning and their heartbreaking consequences.

"The worst part is I know all the damage I did to my skin in all those years tanning," says Gerber, a 24-year-old skin cancer survivor. "It doesn't matter. I've done the damage."

Gerber, a self-described "tan-a-holic" started her trips to the tanning salon as a teenager.

"I loved tanning," she says. "I was happy, I felt skinny, it was good."

Mallory Hughes, 23, also loved the glow of the UV lamp.

She says she limited her tanning to special events, like prom and homecoming.

"It was popular to have the vacation glow at those events," she says.

Both women, diagnosed with skin cancer before their 25th birthdays, believe their love of tanning, especially tanning beds, played a major role.

"You think you're immune, you're not going to be the one who gets melanoma, but looking back its definitely not worth it," says Hughes.

Gerber has been diagnosed with stage 3 melanoma.

"I have a 50 percent chance of survival. I almost killed myself over a stupid tan," she says.

Cancer researchers say their stories are all too common.

After analyzing nearly two dozen studies, researchers concluded that people under 30 who use tanning beds increase their cancer risk by 75 percent. The experts put tanning beds and ultraviolet radiation in the same category as cigarettes, arsenic and the sun itself.

The study was conducted by International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France, part of the World Health Organization. It was published this week in the British journal Lancet.

Like the sun, tanning bulbs deliver UV radiation -- only these lights are much more concentrated. The American Cancer Society says 15 to 30 minutes on a sunbed, is equivalent to an entire day at the beach.

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