Review: New tanning beds just as dangerous as former models

(HealthDay)—Use of tanning beds is associated with increased likelihood of a melanoma diagnosis, with similar odds seen for use of newer tanning beds, according to a review published in the May issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Sophia Colantonio, M.P.H., from the University of Ottawa in Canada, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review to identify observational studies that included patients with melanoma who had indoor tanned. Thirty-one studies were included, with data for 14,956 melanoma cases and 233,106 controls.

The researchers found that the odds ratio for melanoma associated with ever using indoor tanning beds was 1.16, compared with never use. When analyzing recent studies with enrollment in the year 2000 onward, the findings were similar (odds ratio, 1.22). Similar results were also seen for those attending more than 10 tanning sessions (odds ratio, 1.34).

"Exposure from more than 10 tanning sessions is most strongly associated and there was no statistically significant difference in this association before and after 2000, suggesting that newer tanning technology is not safer than older models," Colantonio and colleagues conclude.