Early exposure to indoor tanning during adolescence or young adulthood increases the risk of early development of basal cell carcinoma (BCC), according to a study published in Pediatrics.
Margaret R. Karagas, PhD, from Dartmouth University in Hanover, NH, and colleagues analyzed data on indoor tanning from 657 cases of BCC and 452 controls ≤ 50 years of age.
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The researchers found that early-onset BCC was related to indoor tanning, with an (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.6). With first exposure as an adolescent or young adult, the association was strongest with a 10% increase in OR with each age younger at first exposure (OR per year of age ≤ 23,1.1; 95% confidence interval, 1.0 to 1.2).
Associations were seen for all device types examined including sunlamps, tanning beds, and tanning booths.
“[The findings] underscore the importance of counseling adolescents and young adults about the risks of indoor tanning and for discouraging parents from consenting minors to this practice,” the researchers wrote.
