On Thursday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a reclassification of sunlamp devices and ultraviolet (UV) lamps intended for use in sunlamp devices. The decision involves bringing these devices up from class I, low-risk, to class II, moderate-risk. Tanning beds and the lamps used in them emit UV light that can have adverse effects on the skin. The decision also brings a requirement that these devices have on them visible warning labels against use by anyone under the age of 18. How the devices are now marketed will also be affected.

Sunlamp devices, including tanning beds and booths, emit UV radiation, a non-ionizing form of invisible light that is associated with elevated risk of skin cancer. The American Academy of Dermatology estimates that risk for developing melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer, increases almost 60 percent for indoor tanning device users. The risk for melanoma is additive in that each session raises the overall risk incrementally, much like smoking cigarettes incrementally increase the risk of lung cancer.

“Although some people think that a tan gives them a ‘healthy’ glow, any tan is a sign of skin damage,” said FDA scientist and UV expert Sharon Miller.

“A tan is the skin’s reaction to exposure to UV rays,” said Miller. “Recognizing exposure to the rays as an ‘insult,’ the skin acts in self-defense by producing more melanin, a pigment that darkens the skin. Over time, this damage will lead to prematurely aged skin and, in some cases, skin cancer.”

The sun emits two types of UV radiation that both penetrate the skin. UV-A rays penetrate deep into the skin and cause tanning, whereas UV-B rays stop just under the surface of the skin and are responsible for causing “sunburn.” Sunlamps mostly emit UV-A but also emit a smaller percentage of UV-B. Both are linked to skin cancer.

More information is available from the FDA’s consumer updates website.