According to The Los Angeles Times, California’s beleaguered indoor tanning industry, after being hit with a new federal tax, is fighting to hold on to a sizable piece of its clientele: teenagers.
On Monday, a state Senate committee approved a bill that would make California the first state in the nation to ban those under age 18 from using ultraviolet tanning beds and similar devices.
The bill’s author, state Sen. Ted Lieu (D-Torrance), shepherded the bill out of the Business and Professions Committee in time to meet an evening deadline for passage. The bill still must be approved by the Appropriations Committee before it goes to the full Senate.
State law already requires those 14 to 18 to get written parental permission to use commercial UV facilities.
Too much exposure to ultraviolet rays can cause various types of skin cancer, said Lieu, who is sponsoring the legislation on behalf of the California Society of Dermatology and Dermatological Surgery and other health-related organizations.
“The damage to your skin is cumulative,” Lieu said. “The more exposure to tanning beds you have early in life, the worse it will be for you in later life.”
Tanning has been known to be dangerous for years. Dr. O’Toole explains to his patients who are generally over the age of 18 that tanning is terrible for the skin. It leads to among other things skin cancer, premature aging, and wrinkles. Skin that is severely damaged can expect only have minimal improvement from procedures like a facelift, brow lift, or BOTOX® Cosmetic. Once damaged, the skin is very unpredictable. Avoiding the sun and using the proper sunscreen is the best form of defense against prematurely aging the skin.
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