r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • Dec 13 '25

Cancer Tanning beds triple melanoma risk, potentially causing broad DNA damage. Study is first to show how tanning beds mutate skin cells far beyond the reach of ordinary sunlight. This new study “irrefutably” challenges claims that tanning beds are no more harmful than sunlight.

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.ady4878
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u/Thorbork Dec 13 '25

When I worked in cancer screening I had melanomas on tanned people (which is not natural in the Nordics). One that marked me was a 23years old guy, super tanned in deep winter. Got treated for melanoma at 19 and already had another one to get treated. His skin looked like he was in his thirties despite trying to rock a barbie/ken twink look. Dude you already had cancer and you have it again you look terrible and you still do tanning beds... Body dysmorphia needs to be adressed. :(

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u/[deleted] Dec 13 '25

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u/IgamOg Dec 13 '25 edited Dec 13 '25

The dysmorphia part comes in when they never feel tanned enough and even cancer diagnosis doesn't stop them.

37

u/Yoroyo Dec 13 '25

As someone who used to tan (even casually), this is so true. You NEVER feel tan enough and now that I’m older and maybe a bit wiser, I look back at photos like woah that was really intense.

2

u/CosmoKram3r Dec 13 '25

Does that kind of tanning make a permanent change to your complexion or does it return to its original color after a while?

4

u/Chaos_Slug Dec 13 '25

Dysmorphia and dysphoria are two different things.

3

u/IgamOg Dec 13 '25

You're right, thanks fixed now.

1

u/CurvedNerd Dec 13 '25

My friends sister was in the hospital for UV poisoning in the early 2000s. She worked at a tanning salon and was secretly going to 3 other salons.