Every year more than 3,000 people seeking the "perfect tan" by visiting an indoor tanning parlor end up in a hospital emergency room, a study has found.
Skin burns, eye injuries and fainting were listed as the most usual reasons for an ER admission following a tanning session, the report in the JAMA Internal Medicine publication said.
"Some of these more immediate injuries are putting someone at more risk for the longer term problems," says study co-author Dr. Gery P. Guy Jr., with the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Severe eye burns, he noted, can increase the risk of developing cataracts as a person ages.
"One visit to the emergency room due to indoor tanning is one visit too much," Guy says, noting tanning beds have been blamed for around 170,000 cases of skin cancer annually.
Injuries caused by tanning bed injuries were most seen in young, Caucasian women, Guy says, explaining that many women in the 18 to 24 age group will visit a tanning salon in preparation for social events such as a prom or homecoming or preparing to go on vacation.
People hoping that a tanning salon visit will make them look good need to realize that the result might be a burn rather than a tan, he says.
"Tanned skin is damaged skin," he says.
The CDC study did note that tanning-related injuries have declined, from 6,487 reported in 2003 to 1,957 in 2012.
A spokesman for the tanning industry took pains to point out that the study's numbers suggest the incident rate of injuries is just a fraction of one percent.
"That is a safety record all industries should strive to achieve," says John Overstreet, head of the Indoor Tanning Association.
However, the CDC researchers said, indoor tanning beds emit much more intense ultraviolet radiation -- the cause of most burns and injuries -- than people get from exposure to the sun.
Although manufacturers of tanning beds are required to equip them with timers to limit exposure, some customers of salons have fallen asleep while tanning, the CDC says.
In 2013 the U.S. Food and Drug administration issued guidelines requiring tanning salons to post clearly visible notices listing potential hazards and the possible long-term risks.
"Ultraviolet radiation increases the risk of skin cancer," Guy says, "and a severe burn clearly indicates damage to the skin and increases the risk of skin cancer later in life."
