Health and Wellness Blog

We all heard the scary news about the dangers of tanning beds, in particular for young people. So what does it take to convince your invincible teen?  Here is one unorthodox way that may work...

To give it more clout, here are some data that you may find useful. As reported in a previous blog, the World Health Organization declared UV-emitting devices, such as tanning beds, as known carcinogens. Research has shown that exposure to UV radiation from indoor tanning equipment before age 35 increases the risk of skin cancer by 75%, in particular melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

Yet teenagers still flock to tanning salons. According to a 2012 Ipsos Reid poll, 21% of youth in grade 12 were using tanning beds with slightly lesser numbers in earlier grades. What's more disturbing is that 52% of those polled said that their parents had paid for their tanning sessions!! To counteract this alarming trend, many provinces and states are passing legislation to ban the use of tanning beds under the age of 18. Ontario is the latest province in Canada to introduce legislation to ban the use of tanning beds by minors. 

For information on skin health and skin cancer in relation to tanning check out one of these books from the Toronto Public library.