As the World Tans

Tanning is the most popular topic on the FM blog, even though there’s only been one post on the subject. It’s generated the most comments, most of which support tanning in fitness facilities.

Tanning enthusiasts have been getting some long-awaited public love lately, thanks to Project Runway contestant and admitted “tanorexic” Blayne, E!'s reality show Sunset Tan, and Republican Vice President nominee Sarah Palin, who installed a tanning bed in the Alaska governor’s mansion when she took that office.
*A brief aside: Why are people who tan in excess called “tanorexics”? Doesn’t that term imply that they deny themselves tanning, the way anorexics deny themselves food? Enlighten me in the comments, please.

I happen to agree with FM Senior Editor Anne McDonnell when she says tanning has no place in the fitness industry. But let’s be honest: As long as it’s a viable profit center, some fitness facilities will continue to offer it to members. Just like some will continue to sell dietary supplements, and hire sub-par personal trainers. Without strict and enforceable industry standards, it’s a buyer-beware market — especially for fitness center members.

If the McCain/Palin ticket is victorious in the polls this November, it will mark the first time that a woman takes that office. But there may be another milestone, as well: The White House’s first tanning bed.

Is that a boost for the tanning industry, or what?

Tanning Has No Place in the Fitness Industry

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.