Fake and Bake Runs in the Family

It seems the apple doesn't fall far from the tree when it comes to teens and their dangerous tanning bed habits. A research letter published in the Archives of Dermatology linked moms who tanned indoors with a higher likelihood that their daughters would, too, develop the habit. Approximately 30 million people use tanning beds each year, and an astounding 71 percent of those people are girls and women aged 16 to 29. Teenagers comprise 2.3 million indoor tanners. That's significant because the American Academy of Dermatology has found that those who use a tanning bed before age 35 have a 75 percent higher likelihood of developing melanoma, the deadliest skin cancer, while increasing the risk for other kinds of skin cancer. The study examined 200 college-aged women who were non-tanners, moderate tanners and heavy tanners, and the heavy tanners were 4.64 times more likely to have had their first indoor tanning experience with their like-minded moms.