Update on indoor tanning legislation in the United States

Abstract

The incidence of melanoma has been increasing over the past several decades, with notable increases in the pediatric and adolescent population. Indoor tanning has been proven carcinogenic and is associated with an increased risk of melanoma, especially when used at a young age. The incidence and frequency of usage of indoor tanning in the United States is high, particularly among adolescents, with roughly 20% reporting using a tanning bed at least once. The Food and Drug Administration recently made changes to its regulation of indoor tanning devices, reclassifying them as class II devices necessitating stricter premarket review, and strengthened its warnings for these devices; however, federal regulation of indoor tanning is still limited and most regulation of indoor tanning in minors is done on a state-by-state basis. Three types of legislation exist: (1) absolute ban on minor use of indoor tanning devices, (2) age restriction of minor usage of indoor tanning devices other than age 18 years, and (3) requirement of parental consent. These regulations are inconsistent, and enforcement efforts are often limited. In this contribution, we provide an update on the prevalence of indoor tanning, the risks associated with indoor tanning, and the current federal and state legislation and enforcement efforts in the United States with regard to indoor tanning. Although efforts are being made to ban all use of indoor tanning devices by minors, there is still more work to be done before this becomes a reality in the United States.