CDC: Most indoor tanning injuries include skin burns, passing out

Atlanta – More than 3,200 indoor tanning-related injuries – almost nine per day – occur annually in the United States, according to a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Skin burns, passing out and eye injuries are the most common indoor-tanning-related injuries that require visits to the emergency department, the study states. Researchers analyzed nonfatal indoor tanning-related injury data from 2003 to 2012 to learn more about short-term effects of exposure to intense ultraviolet radiation, which is a known carcinogen.

The majority of people who were injured while tanning were female (82.2 percent) and white (77.8 percent). The most common age group of those injured was 18 to 24 (35.5 percent).

Researchers said skin burns comprised 79.5 percent of the injuries, followed by passing out (9.5 percent) and eye injuries (5.8 percent).

CDC says tanning increases one’s risk for skin cancers such as melanoma, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Cataracts and eye cancers also can result from exposure to ultraviolet radiation, according to the agency.

The study was published online Dec. 15 in JAMA Internal Medicine.