Millions of people around the country put themselves at higher risk for contracting skin cancer each year by frequently using tanning beds. So just how deadly is skin cancer?
While a cancer diagnosis can be a frightening ordeal in its own right, even those who survive can find themselves facing high medical costs and elevated life insurance premiums.
From a life insurance perspective, companies see those who have survived cancer as a higher risk because of the chance that the disease could return at some point.
One of the most common – and dangerous – forms of cancer is skin cancer. According to the Food and Drug Administration, tanning beds use both UV-B and UV-A rays. The UV-B rays are most responsible for sunburns, while UV-A rays penetrate deeper into the skin and can be associated with allergic reactions.
“Although some people think that a tan gives them a ‘healthy’ glow, any tan is a sign of skin damage,” FDA scientist Sharon Miller said.
The FDA also warns that people who had severe sunburns at a young age are also at higher risk to come down with melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer. Another warning from the government agency states that those who used tanning beds before age 35 have a 75 percent higher risk for melanoma.