Published Jul 6, 2020

‘Tan Mom’ In Headlines: Her Story Reminds Mothers to Teach Their Teens About Tanning Cancer-Risk

A shocking 1 in 13 high school girls still report using indoor tanning beds at least once a year -- and moms' tanning behaviors have a strong influence on daughters. Parents urged to sound the alarm about tanning and cancer risk.

Constance Costas

Details

Recent news that “Tan Mom” Patricia Kretcil’s husband is facing colon cancer, has put Krentcil’s indoor tanning habit — and its cancer risks — back in the spotlight. Now more than ever, it’s bringing renewed attention to the responsibility of mothers to teach their daughters about the dangers of tanning, particularly indoor-tanning, which is often (wrongly) marketed as a “safer” alternative to the sun.

Moms, it turns out, can have a powerful influence over their daughters’ tanning habits: “Maternal tanning behavior and maternal permissiveness toward indoor tanning are strong predictors of daughters' indoor tanning [use],” a study published in JAMA Dermatology found.

RELATED: Husband of 'Tan Mom' Diagnosed with Colon Cancer: 'Keep Our Family In Your Prayers'

In 2012, Patricia Krentcil was charged with child endangerment for bringing her then 5-year-old daughter into a tanning bed in New Jersey. A grand jury later chose not to indict the deeply-tanned mother of two, but Krentcil became widely-recognized as the worst kind of parent role model by embracing a tanning habit with a known skin-cancer risk.

“If you use indoor tanning devices before the age of 15, your melanoma risk goes up 59%, which is a pretty staggering statistic,” said Brook Carlisle, government relations director with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. "Despite all of these documented risks, we know that people are still using tanning beds."

"There is an exponential increase in patients who develop melanomas who have been to tanning salons," explains Dr. Anna Pavlick, an oncologist at NYU Langone Health.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, when teens and young adults think indoor tanning is okay with parents, they are more likely to start young. “When it comes to decisions about indoor tanning, families and friends are often the best messengers of safe practiceswith their actions and their words.”

Krentcil, whose daughter is now 14, continues her indoor-tanning obsession: In April, she hosted a benefit concert, "QuaranTANned" from her Tampa home, with a portion of proceeds going to a new tanning bed for her personal use.

Becoming addicted to tanning is a real risk. About 20% of 18- to 30-year-old white women who use indoor tanning show signs of addiction. They find it hard to stop tanning. When they don't get a steady dose of UV rays, they feel fidgety or depressed, according to a report from the American Academy of Dermatology.

Tanning Beds Increase Risk of Skin Cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires tanning salons to post warnings that UV radiation from indoor tanning devices "poses serious health risks … all use of tanning beds increases the risk of skin cancer," the agency states.

And there is an “exponential” increase in melanoma — the deadliest form of skin cancer — among patients who visit tanning salons, says Dr. Anna Pavlick, an oncologist at NYC Langone Health.

Dermatologist Dr. Dendy Engelman shares the top 5 ways to protect your skin from skin cancer.

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, just one indoor tanning session creates a 75% increased risk of melanoma before age 35. Parents looking to share accurate information about the dangers of indoor tanning can start with these facts from the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD):

5 Facts About IndoorTanning

Tanning beds are NOT safer than the sun. Women who tan indoors before they turn 30 are 6 times more likely to get melanoma, the deadliest skin cancer, according to the AAD. Just one indoor tanning session can increase the risk of developing skin cancer.
It’s a myth that getting a “base tan” will prevent sunburn. Every time you tan or burn, you also damage the DNA in your skin. The more you damage your DNA, the greater your risk of getting skin cancer.
Using tanning beds can cause a serious injury. In emergency rooms across the United States, people are treated for burns, loss of consciousness, and eye injuries caused by indoor tanning.
Tanning makes your skin age more quickly. Wrinkles, age spots, and loss of skin firmness tend to appear years earlier in people who tan. Indoor tanning dramatically speeds up how quickly your skin ages, according to the AAD.
Tanning beds aren’t a source of vitamin D. The bulbs used in tanning beds emit mostly UVA light; however, your body needs UVB light to make vitamin D.

Tanning Salons Provide Misleading Info

Young people should also be aware that tanning salons have been often give customers "false and misleading information" about indoor tanning — a study by the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Energy and Commerce found this was a common practice:

When investigators asked staff at indoor tanning salons about indoor tanning risks, they found that 90% said indoor tanning is not a health risk for a fair-skinned teenage girl. Many even said that tanning has health benefits.

Get The Glow Without The Risk

The good news: teens yearning for a “tan” can get the look safely by using self-tanning products.

A self-tanner offers you a way to look tan without increasing your risk of developing early wrinkles, leathery skin, and skin cancer. When applied the right way, self-tanners look natural and won't give you orange skin, streaks, or splotches.

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

Constance Costas is a writer for SurvivorNet.

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