Any tan is a sign of skin damage

SILVER SPRING, Md., Dec. 1 (UPI) -- Some people think a tan gives them a "healthy" glow, but any tan is a sign of skin damage, a U.S. expert on ultraviolet radiation and tanning warns.

Sharon Miller, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration scientist, says sunlamps and tanning beds promise consumers a bronzed body year-round, but the ultraviolet radiation from these devices poses serious health risks.

The FDA is particularly concerned about children and teens being exposed to ultraviolet rays, Miller says.

"A tan is the skin's reaction to exposure to UV rays," Miller says in a statement.

"Recognizing exposure to the rays as an 'insult,' the skin acts in self-defense by producing more melanin, a pigment that darkens the skin. Over time, this damage will lead to prematurely aged skin and, in some cases, skin cancer."

Ultraviolet-B rays penetrate the top layers of skin and are most responsible for sunburns, while ultraviolet-A rays penetrate to the deeper layers of the skin and are often associated with allergic reactions, such as a rash, Miller explains. Both ultraviolet-B and ultraviolet-A rays damage the skin and can lead to skin cancer.

Tanning salons use lamps that emit both ultraviolet-A and ultraviolet-B radiation, Miller says.