If teenagers aren’t allowed to use tanning beds many benefits would accrue, Elizabeth Tracey reports

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:03 — 1.4MB)

Subscribe: RSS

Tanning bed use is associated with the development of skin cancers. Now a new study looks at how many skin cancers and associated healthcare costs would be impacted if teenagers were prohibited from using tanning beds. William Nelson, director of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, looks at the data.

Nelson: These folks did a modeling simulation of 14 and 17 year olds. The idea was you ban tanning and they tried to estimate how much better people would do if they come up with 15,000 in the US melanoma cases 3300 or so would be life threatening melanoma among 17 million minors, you save $61 per every minor in normal and allied healthcare costs, increased quality adjusted life years, I think this model tells you what is easy to believe, that if you could ban this it’s a good idea.  :32

Nelson notes that adults too should choose not to use tanning beds, as their relationship with skin cancer is not limited to teens. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.