Surgeon General Warns that Tanning is a 'Major Public Health Concern'

Health officials have continuously warned of the dangers of tanning; not only can it cause premature skin aging, but previous studies have shown that it can also increase the risk of skin cancer and even potentially be addictive.

On Tuesday, the United States Acting Surgeon General, Boris Lushniak, released a new warning statement regarding the dangers of tanning and skin cancer as a "major public health concern." Particularly during the summertime, Lushniak has recommended that people wear sunscreen and hats to prevent the issue as well as stay in the shade and avoid indoor tanning.

"Right now we're seeing kind of a bad trend developing when it comes to skin cancers. Skin cancers - melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer - are increasing. It got to the point for us, right now, to be able to say, 'We need to have this call to action," said Lushniak, via the Washington Post. "I've got to, as acting surgeon general, call out the facts."

The new report showed that close to five million Americans are treated for skin cancer every year; around 63,000 cases are considered serious while about 6,000 of them can be directly tied to indoor tanning. Researchers estimate that overall, this highly preventable health issue has cost around $8.1 billion.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that the percentage of teenagers younger than 18 who used tanning booths has fallen from 15.6 percent in 2009 to 12.8 percent in 2013. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also recently mandated that tanning beds and lamps be made with warning labels in order to reduce exposure rates.

However, Lushniak is pushing for even more states to ban indoor tanning for minors to stop this preventable health issue. 

"[The report] is a major step forward in the fight against the epidemic of skin cancer, but the value of this step will be measured in the follow up," added Tim Turnham, executive director of the Melanoma Research Foundation.

More information regarding the report can be found here.