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Examiner

Tanning beds, by the numbers

Two-thirds of tanning bed users are teens. Now the FDA wants warnings for those under 18 on every single bed in the country.

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The US Food and Drug Administration announced in May that tanning-salon sunlamps should not be used by anyone under 18 years of age, mandating that warning labels with the age limit be affixed to beds this summer. Fans of the $2.6 billion tanning industry say the beds help the body produce vitamin D, alleviate seasonal affective disorder, and just give skin a “healthy” glow. But it’s a truism among health care providers that any tan is a sign of skin damage, so before you make that appointment, learn the facts in this graphic.