Indoor Tanning is All the Rage

by Campbell Burr

Two or three times a week, Emily Koczot, 15, leaves early for work. On her walk through downtown Bethesda, the blue-eyed blond visits At the Beach Tanning Salon to take advantage of her $79 a month, unlimited tanning package. Koczot applies one layer of tanning oil, another of sunscreen, plops on her eye goggles, and lets the ultraviolet rays from the Orbit tanning bed penetrate her skin. She knows the consequences of tanning—skin cancer, eye damage, pigment disease—but believes that she is not at risk. Emily is not unusual. According to the Academy of Dermatology, over 25 percent of teenage girls have used tanning beds three or more times.

“I prefer that people avoid sustaining unnecessary ultraviolet light exposure,” Dr. David Green, a Maryland dermatologist, said in an email.  Many dermatologists speak against the practice because of its potential damage.

Though many teenagers cannot live without bronzed skin, tanning salons around the country are going out of business. There are fewer customers due to the recession and negative media coverage of the industry.

The “2008-09 Fact Book: The State of The Industry Report” revealed that the recession has increased tanning salons’ annual attrition rate from 20 percent to 30 percent. Anti-tanning/ legislation campaigns affected the 2007 industry by 25%, competition by 17%, the economy by 31%, weather by 22% and other by 5%, Lookingfit.com’s “Tanning Fact Book 2008/2009” said.

Tony Johnson of MegaSun Tanning Bed Manufacturer reported a decline of new equipment sales and an increase in used equipment sales. He believes it is a result of the recession.

While the number of customers at Solar Planet in Gaithersburg has increased due to other salons closing in the area, customers are buying smaller packages which actually raise the cost per tanning session, said Lisa Parr, sales associate. In Maryland, there are no laws guaranteeing customer compensation when a tanning salon goes out of business. Despite this, “if a merchant files for bankruptcy, a consumer can make a claim with the bankruptcy court,” said Eric Friedman, Director of the Montgomery County Office of Consumer Protection. The fear of investing in an instable industry could explain why customers are spending less.

John Overstreet, executive director of the Indoor Tanning Association, said that the tanning industry is heavily impacted by the recession because it is cosmetic. He also said that the industry overgrew in the 1990s and is now consolidating because only the most “sophisticated” businesses can survive.

Overstreet also blamed bad publicity for hurting the industry and asserted the advantages of indoor tanning. Overstreet called a tanning bed a “controlled environment” because the strength of exposure and amount of time a customer can tan are limited. In natural sunlight, the strength of ultraviolet rays depends on the place, time of day and weather, which can all be hard to gauge, Overstreet said. Also, many salons require customers to wear eye protection, which they may not do outside.

Frank Bossini, owner of Bethesda’s Hollywood Tans, said that tanning beds offer less UVB exposure than natural sunlight which reduces burning. Many of his customers use tanning beds to build base tans before vacations.

Bossini has a customer with a health condition that makes him stay inside for one to two months at a time and indoor tanning allows him to obtain the vitamin D that he needs. Another customer has eczema and the tanning bed makes his skin feel better. Tanning bed use can also help fight off seasonal depression, Bossini said.

Clair Burns, Director of Store Operations for seven Maryland Solar Planet salons, said that the “majority are not looking for a tropical tan.” She has customers who work 50 to 60 hours a week and use tanning beds for a couple of minutes a week to avoid pasty skin.

Burns warned against people expecting to get a tan in one or two sessions. She encourages her customers to “tan in moderation” and gives each customer tanning advice.

Some employees take classes to become certified. Rebecca Pray, program administrator at the National Tanning Training Institute, says that more people have signed up for classes recently. An indoor tanning course costs $105 for one student and gets cheaper as more employees sign up. She guesses that the economy and federal and state regulations have hurt the industry.

Despite efforts to make tanning safer, dermatologists and parents continue to protest against the industry. Dr. Jay Barnett of Greater Washington Dermatology calls tanning beds “very dangerous” and believes that they “shouldn’t be used at anytime.” A study conducted by the International Agency for Research on Cancer showed that if a youth uses a tanning bed once, his risk of melanoma increases by 75 percent.

Stephanie Kenyon, a Bethesda parent, spoke about her 19-year-old’s tanning habits. “I disapprove and have let her know, but, at her age, it is her choice,” she said in an email.

Skin cancer is the “most prevalent form of cancer in the country,” said Craig Fritz, Communications/Marketing Director of the South Atlantic Division of the American Cancer Society. He said that one of the reasons why the number of skin cancer cases is increasing is partly because doctors are getting better at finding it. According to the American Cancer Society, more than 1 million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in the United States every year.

 Teenagers seem to feel invincible, despite statistics. Koczot, who tans two to three times a week, said that she is not at risk because she wears sunscreen, does not tan as frequently as people who get skin cancer, wears eye protection, and does not have relatives with cancer.

Koczot’s estimated $550 a year tanning habit has not been affected by the recession. “I have so much extra money because I don’t have expenses,” she said. Koczot said that she may not tan as much in the future when she has to pay for a car and gas.

On October 1, 2008, Maryland passed legislation requiring parental consent before a minor can use a tanning bed. Tanners must also provide identification to verify their age. Overstreet doubts that this legislation has impacted business.

The Indoor Tanning Association is trying to help the industry rebound by focusing on the benefits of indoor tanning. According to the “2008-09 Fact Book: The State of The Industry Report,” the industry’s long-term goal is to “increase the demand  for indoor tanning by jumpstarting a backlash against the current anti-tanning hype and increasing awareness of the positive benefits of vitamin D.”