Indoor tanning

The Academy is a leading voice in nationwide efforts to protect minors from the harmful effects of indoor tanning. That’s why we support a ban on the production and sale of indoor tanning equipment for nonmedical purposes, as well as state bans on minor access to indoor tanning. Protecting the public, especially adolescents, and requiring appropriate oversight of the indoor tanning industry will have a profound effect on improving public health and reducing overall health care costs.

The Academy succeeded in getting the FDA to reclassify tanning beds as Class II devices in 2014, including a strong recommendation against the use of tanning beds by minors. The FDA now requires a black-box warning that the sunlamp product should not be used on persons under the age of 18 years. Reclassifying sunlamps and tanning beds to a Class II level instituted stricter regulations to protect public health.