A recent study found that indoor tanning is not as harmless as it appears to be. According to the study conducted by researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), indoor tanning has sent people to hospitals after getting burns, eye injuries, and loss of consciousness.  Among the long-term effects associated with the activity are: cancer of the skin, cataracts and melanoma.

For the study, CDC health official Gery P. Guy Jr. and his colleagues  collected data on indoor-tanning-related injuries from 2003 to 2012 from 66 U.S. hospital emergency rooms. Together they identified 405 cases of nonfatal injury caused by indoor tanning. More than 80 per cent of patients in the study data were female and nearly 80 per cent were white.

Based on their findings, Guy's team estimated that an average of 3,234 indoor-tanning-related injuries were treated annually across the country. While most people suffered skin burns, 10 per cent had fainted and almost 6 per cent had eye injuries including burns, inflamed corneas or foreign objects embedded in the eye.

They also found that the number treated each year dropped from about 6,500 in 2003 to just under 2,000 in 2012.

"It's important for people to understand both the long-term and the short-term risks of indoor tanning," Guy says. "Many immediate risks are also associated with higher risk of health issues later on, like skin cancer. For example, burns increase the risk of skin cancer later in life, while eye injuries from intense UV exposure may lead to cataracts and eye melanoma."

"In terms of passing out, people reported falling down after stepping out of a tanning bed. Although the reason isn't clear, fainting could be caused by heat exhaustion."

A previous study showed that 24 out of 10,000 women who regularly used tanning beds developed melanoma, compared to 17 of 10,000 women who rarely or never used them.

According to Dr. Joseph Ross of the Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, "Unfortunately, it has taken years for the cultural mystique of the 'healthy tan' to be replaced by an informed understanding of the risks of tanning, both indoor and outdoor, including premature skin aging, eye damage, and melanoma and other skin cancers."

"Even the injury numbers in the new study are likely a substantial underestimate since they do not include people who did not seek treatment at an ER, but used aloe vera gel, moisturizing lotions and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines for pain" Ross says. "Although some states have age restrictions on tanning salons, more should be done to limit the use of indoor tanning among young adults and adolescents."

Meanwhile, Guy explained that in light of thousands of injuries and reports, it baffles the CDC and his team that millions continue to indoor tan. Stating that one emergency room visit from indoor tanning is far too much, Guy is hopeful that their new research will help bring an end to a practice they believe has been dangerous from the start.   

The study was published on the JAMA Internal Medicine.