SHOULD WE BAN TANNING BOOTHS?

The Academy of Medicine reiterates these injunctions about the dangers associated with the use of tanning booths . Meanwhile, a survey by the magazine Que-Choisir demonstrates that regulation is not even respected in most centers inspected: warnings, glasses, bans minors, supervised self-service ...

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The sun plants are increasingly sought, with a growth of 30% per year for three years. In France, there are 200 tanning salons, beauty salons equipped 3200 and 40,000 sunbeds. Two to three new centers are opening every year.

Faced with this enthusiasm, the Academy of Medicine points out that "exposure to artificial UVA provide little benefit to health. Instead, they are dangerous , causing skin lesions healed can be precisely controlled.Certainly, no artificial UV may be no more toxic than exposure to sunlight, but the doses are cumulative to those experienced naturally. In addition, the tan acquired during these sessions does not effectively protect against subsequent natural exposure. Indeed, radiation centers are mainly composed of UV type A. However, only UVB can develop some protection to the skin by stimulating its self-defense reaction. The temporary thickening of skin also plays an important role in protecting the skin. As it slowly acquired a few tanning sessions will not suffice. In the end, already tanned, we give ourselves the illusion of being protected, which leads to longer exposure .

Already alerted to the late 1990s, governments have imposed regulations requiring institutions to review their equipment, to inform the customer and tell them a number of precautions: sunglasses, minimum time of 48 hours between exposures, prohibition minors, etc.. But according to the survey conducted by Que-Choisir all this regulation is violated . More than a third of the 450 solariums visited do not conform. The training of professionals is highly inadequate and number of statements heard in the centers are either completely false or a pretext: the UV antidepressant effects are good for morale, anti-stress, good for the skin, protect against cancers etc.. Worse, 25 centers, 22 were willing to accommodate minors . Now you must know that 80% of melanomas, skin cancers most serious, are related to overexposure to sunlight before age 18.

So should we ban cabins sun?

For academics, the regulations are likely to give official sanction to the practice of tanning and making a false sense of security . While formally advising against the use of artificial UV rays that are dangerous denounced by doctors , they claim at least for the moment that the government strengthen their warnings and ensure their applications. For its part, Que-elect, insisted that measures be taken to the general public .