Tanning Salons - a Growth Industry?

It’s tough being in the tanning business these days.

Tanning salons are one of the few retail businesses flourishing – we have had three open in Encino recently (here) and I would say more are on the way. That’s despite a 10% tax that came along recently with the new health care act (health clubs and gyms with memberships are exempt).

Why is it so tough? Because there have been multiple studies linking tanning to melanomas. Even though the studies don’t seem very conclusive and even though many teenage girls cannot imagine themselves with leathery skin in a few years, and even though salon owners are full of loud complaints on the web, it’s gradually sinking in that tanning means ultraviolet radiation and that worst case scenarios are possible – melanomas are cancer and they can kill you. With some teens, it appears that going to a tanning salon falls into the same category as risky sex – I’m going to do it because I’m going to live forever. If you aren’t being careful about skin damage, you’re not paying attention.

Perhaps it’s a matter of degree. A recent health study conducted in Minnesota concluded that people who regularly use tanning beds may double or even triple their risk of developing melanoma, compared with people who have never tried it (here). The meat of the study is that people who use tanning salons regularly (as in more than 50 hours) are far more likely to develop melanomas. It’s harder to draw conclusions about casual use. But there is sufficient concern at the FDA that they are considering restrictions – most likely on under-18’s. Most dermatologists, The Skin Cancer Foundation and the WHO would like to see legislation.

Photo: Tristanb/Wikipedia