Tanning bed use triples melanoma risk due to widespread DNA damage, even in unexposed skin areas.

A new study links tanning bed use to a tripling of melanoma risk, finding artificial UV light causes widespread DNA damage across the body, including areas not exposed to sunlight. Researchers from Northwestern Medicine and UCSF discovered nearly twice as many cancer-linked mutations in skin cells of users, with melanoma rates reaching 5.1% among users versus 2.1% among non-users. Unlike natural sun exposure, tanning bed UV radiation spreads harmful mutations throughout the skin, even in areas with no visible moles, creating pre-cancerous changes undetectable by sight. The findings challenge industry claims that indoor tanning is safe and suggest similar risks may exist with UV nail dryers.