Proposed Pennsylvania law would regulate teen tanning (The following article appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer 3/24/05) By Lini S. Kadaba Inquirer Staff Writer Seventeen-year-old Nichole Swisher wanted a little color for a weekend wedding. Recently, she went straight from school to the Golden Edge in West Chester, her first visit to a tanning salon. Six minutes and $5 later, she emerged from the tanning bed pleased: "I'll probably come back." But if a proposed Pennsylvania law is passed, Swisher would have a harder time getting that tan. The bill, similar to ones around the country, would require 15- to 17-year-olds to get written parental permission to use a tanning facility. Those under 15 would need a parent to come along. New Jersey has a similar bill pending. The debate over teenage tanning is heating up, with passionate voices on both sides. Dermatologists are attributing growing skin-cancer rates, especially among younger people, to indoor tanning, and are calling for stricter laws amid mounting science linking the practice and skin cancer. The $5 billion tanning industry, which adds a thousand customers a month, emphasizes that the link between melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, and indoor tanning has not been proven. Operators also say they self-regulate and offer a safe, healthy experience. Ten percent of the nation's teenagers use tanning beds, according to dermatologists. "There's this culture of 'tanrexia,' where it's addictive," said dermatologist Bruce A. Brod, who practices in Philadelphia and Lancaster and testified in support of Pennsylvania's bill. "The tan look is sort of in again," he said. Once teens "get the tan, they get the body image. They think, 'I look much better with a tan.' And they keep going... . There's a lot of pressure on these kids, especially this time of year." March is the start of the busy months for area indoor tanning places. Many teens want to bronze before vacations and proms, making a visit to a tanning bed a near rite of spring. At the same time, rising melanoma rates are driving more states to look at restricting - or banning outright - youths from the practice. Twenty-two states already place restrictions on minors' use of tanning salons, according to the American Academy of Dermatology Association. The group is pushing tougher regulations that would go beyond those already imposed by the Food and Drug Administration on tanning equipment. An Indoor Tanning Association official said state regulations are unnecessary. "The industry strongly supports parental consent for anyone under the age of 18," executive director John Overstreet said. "It's a standard industry practice... . It's very, very uncommon to get a burn in a tanning salon because the environment is so controlled." Burning is more likely outdoors, without the benefit of timers or base tans, he said, estimating that 28 million people - 2.3 million teens - visit a tanning salon at least once a year. That troubles Catherine Poole, founder of the Melanoma International Foundation in Glenmoore. "There isn't any such thing as a healthy tan. Tan is a sign of damage." A recent Consumer Reports survey of indoor tanning found "widespread failures to inform customers about the possible risks," even in regulated states. The Tanning Association also argues that indoor ultraviolet exposure boosts Vitamin D production, believed by some to be deficient in Americans. "That's a bunch of bunk," said Thomas D. Griffin, a Media dermatologist and past president of the Pennsylvania Academy of Dermatology. "Our diet is so rich in Vitamin D." Said Overstreet: "The folks who don't like the sun, who want to keep you out of the sun, reject all that I'm saying because they're afraid to give people a choice." The broil over tanning salons is fed by growing cancer rates. The incidence rate of melanoma, the most common cancer in women ages 25 to 29, is growing nearly 3 percent a year, the American Cancer Society reports. The skin of teens is thought to be more vulnerable. Among women 15 to 29 years old, melanoma rates rose 60.5 percent between the mid-1970s and the late 1990s, its figures showed. "We think one of the reasons we're seeing that is increased use of indoor tanning facilities," Brod said. "There's no other factor that would explain that." He also said indoor tanning can cause skin and retinal burns and premature aging. A 2002 study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that using indoor tanning devices increased the risk of skin cancers - 2.5 times for squamous cell and 1.5 for basal cell - compared with nonusers. Tanning beds, which look like oblong George Foreman grills, emit UV radiation similar to the sun. Sessions, costing as little as a couple of bucks with special packages, involve lying in a bed for up to 20 minutes. Karen MacDonald, 23, of Brownstown, Lancaster County, started at a tanning salon when she was 15. "All my friends were going," she said. "It was in, to have that bronzed look." By college, she was going five days a week. Once, she said, she was badly burned. Soon after, Brod, her dermatologist, found precancerous lesions on her ear and back. He compares tanning to smoking. "It's a carcinogenic," he said. "You're assaulting the skin." Recently, MacDonald, an occupational therapist, had another lesion removed from her left shoulder. "I thought... it won't happen to me," she said. She now supports restrictions. The call for increased regulations can be a hard sell. State Rep. Elinor Z. Taylor (R., Chester) the Pennsylvania bill's primary sponsor, has tried to get indoor tanning regulated for a decade. The bill would require registration and signs posted stating the dangers of UV rays. "Last year, we came very, very close," she said. "Nobody wants to enforce it." New Jersey's bill, sponsored by Assemblyman Neil Cohen (D., Union) would impose an under-14 ban and require parental permission for older minors. Illinois' bill would raise its ban from under 14 to under 18, making it the nation's most restrictive. Golden Edge owner Paul Kendikian, in business for 14 years, has about 300 customers a day during busy months, one-fourth under 19. Kendikian said he used to require parental consent but stopped because it was a "nonissue" with customers. "Ninety-five percent of kids who come in here, their parents know," he said. "It's acceptable... . The body needs sunlight. We're just one source." Trish Greenberg, chairman of the Pennsylvania Retailers Association, co-owns Tansations salons in Harrisburg, where minors are required to have written parental permission. The form details the dangers. She said all of the parents sign it..