I don’t know the actual statistics, but I do know that there are still fitness centers out there that offer tanning beds to members. And, there are always several tanning bed companies represented at industry trade shows. My question is, why?
Indoor tanning used to be thought of as “safer” than being out in the sun, and tanning bed companies still try to make that claim. However, the American Academy of Dermatology, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the National Cancer Institute, among others, have all declared that UV radiation from artificial sources, such as tanning beds and sun lamps, is a known carcinogen.
Dr. Whitmore, Associate Professor of Dermatology, Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Md., says, “Indoor tanning uses UVA radiation, which leads some in the industry to claim that indoor tanning is a safe alternative to outdoor tanning. However, most salons’ bulbs still provide a significant amount of UVB radiation, in addition to UVA. Both types of ultraviolet light, whether from sunlight or indoor tanning light, cause various types of damage in the skin that may lead to skin cancer and should be avoided.”
Fitness centers are a place of “health and wellness.” They should offer sound fitness, nutrition and weight-loss advice. Many even offer ways to reduce stress, such as mind/body fitness and massage. Where do tanning beds fit into this picture? Why would a place that claims to offer healthy advice also offer a service that is known to cause cancer?
An article published in FM even suggests that members who get skin cancer from a tanning bed at a fitness center could potentially sue the facility.
The fitness industry should stay out of the tanning business. Places that promote healthy lifestyles should not also promote cancer-causing agents.
8 comments:
The fitness business has nothing to do with health. We sell a full line of supplements at our club. Weight gainers and fat busters far outsell multivitamins and antioxidants. People want to look better. If they envision a tan as doing that, than why not. When you ask people what their goals are in the club, how many report health. (Not many). Most goals are about cosmetics.
Fitness centers are about looking good and feeling good. Tanning makes you do both. Tanning is only dangerous when not done in moderation.
I disagree with Ms. McDonnell's editorial on tanning as a fitness center amenity. I have operated a full tanning salon within my fitness center for seven years now---with great success--and a great deal of respect within my local community. The tanning salon is fully regulated (minimizing exposure times), clean, and waivers are always secured before the clients are allowed to tan. Indoor tanning is done in a controlled atmosphere---clientele cannot overtan because we will not allow it. Conversely, a person who stays out in the sun for eight hours at a pool is, in our opinion, at much more risk of sun damage.
The fitness center members occasionally purchase tanning packages and the tanners occasionally purchase fitness memberships. One feeds off of the other. Any fitness center owner knows that the memberships, if they have managed their finances correctly, will merely handle the bottom line. To stay in business, gym owners must have some type of amenities. In our case, ours is tanning. Yes, a tan makes you feel better about all the hard work you have put in at the gym. And, yes, we could be selling fat burners, diurectics, etc,etc. We don't. Our "amenity" is our tanning salon. We are successful. Our members use it. Our tanners are dedicated. And it just simply works. Now look at those of you frying yourself in the sun every summer. Aren't you doing more damage to your skin? The burn, the peel, the itching. Don't discount the controlled environment of the indoor tanning salon.
Vicki Kneeland, Owner
The Gym and Tan-Line Studio
Norristown, PA
Good, Bad, or indifferent there are a lot of gyms and fitness places that are adding tanning. As long as they are responsible and do it right I don't have a problem with it.
I think that if a center is providing tanning they should educate and assist the customer. Tanning can be dangerous just as an improper workout, so the customer should be taught the risks of tanning, so they minimize the risks.
I honestly believe that Dermatologists do everything in their power to stop tanning. Why, not for safety reasons, but because they charge $80/ session for a UV treatment, which in nothing more than a high UVB tanning booth. They hate the fact that you can walk into a tanning salon for $5.
Thanks you for the informative post !
But I can’t figure out why it is recommended to get 10 to 15 minutes of sun a day when we know sun damage is accumulative. We also know that we can get Vitamin D from our diet and supplements. And after a tan is established, the skin can’t produce Vitamin D. Most of the older adults that I know, who had a lot of sun, have developed osteoporosis and skin cancer and other cancers. Why can’t these so-called experts realize that the public must be so confused by this contradicting imformation?
Vilma carter
Australia
http://www.tanningbed-free.info
I am so tired of this sun-bashing propoganda. WE NEED SUN EXPOSURE, whether from the actal sun or a tanning bed. Don't over-expose- that is the important thing to remember. Sunshine makes us feel good and is necessary to survive. It also helps prevent certain diseases more than the risk of getting skin cancer. Like alcohol, a little red wine is good for the heart, but doesn't mean you should get drunk everynight. Same with tanning. Expose in moderation, and a respectable tanning salon or health club will educate their clients in this matter. Get your facts straight sun scared people.
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