This is what a new study from the University of San Francisco (UCSF) and Northwestern University warns Tanning in the solarium Not only does it increase risk Skin cancer: Also It causes the skin to age genetically over decades. The study, published in Scientific advancescompared young tanning bed users to people in the general population between 70 and 80 years old and was insightful a disturbing pattern.
“We discovered that they were tanning bed users in their 30s and 40s They even had that further mutations that people in the general population who They were in their 70s and 80s.” said Bishal Tandukar, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in dermatology at UCSF and co-senior author of the study. “In other words, the skin of tanning bed users.” Genetically speaking, she looked decades older“.
The authors explain that the accumulated mutations are exactly the ones that can trigger Skin cancer. Among them is the Melanomaresponsible for only 1% of cases, but for the majority of deaths: about 11,000 per year, mainly related to exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
UV radiation occurs naturally in sunlight, but also in artificial sources like sun loungers. Its use has increased particularly in recent years among young womenthe group that uses this type of service the most.
Mutations where the sun can’t reach
The researchers analyzed the medical records of more than 32,000 dermatological patientsby checking your family history of tanning beds, sunburn and melanoma. Aside from that, examined skin samples from 26 donors and sequenced 182 cells.
The results showed that young tanning bed users They had more mutations than older peoplein particular in the lower lumbar areaan area that is rarely damaged by sun exposure, but that is completely exposed in the solarium.
“The skin of tanning bed users was plagued with the seeds of Cancer “Cells with mutations known to lead to melanoma,” said A. Hunter Shain, PhD, associate professor in the UCSF Department of Dermatology and senior author of the study.
Shain stressed the impossibility of repairing the damage as soon as they appear in the DNA of skin cells: “Once a mutation has occurred, we cannot reverse it, so it is essential.” First, limit how many mutations accumulate“And he added a direct recommendation: “One of the easiest ways to do this is Avoid artificial UV radiation“.
Although many countries have de facto banned tanning beds and tanning beds the World Health Organization (WHO) classifies it as a Group 1 carcinogen – the same category as tobacco smoke and asbestos – its use remains legal and popular in the United States.
The study was supported by the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, the Department of Defense and the Melanoma Research Alliance. According to the authors, the results underline the urgent need to do this Reduce exposure to artificial sources of UV radiation to protect the health of the skin in the long term.
By Alejandra Lopez Plazas
Weather (Colombia)
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