The Dangers of Tanning Beds If You're Taking Medications

Most people are already familiar with the dangers of tanning beds, although some ignore them and get an unhealthy bronze glow anyway. Some people even use tanning beds as a way to treat skin problems such as itchy skin rashes, believing that exposure to the ultraviolet rays of a tanning bed will help it clear up faster. This may be true for rashes caused by psoriasis and eczema, but if the skin rash comes from a medication reaction, the results could be deadly.

Tanning Bed Dangers if You're Taking Medications

A long list of medications can cause photosensitivity reactions, which is really just an exaggerated response to the sun. This type of reaction leads to severe sunburns from even brief exposure to the sun or tanning beds.

More serious is the risk of a condition called toxic epidermal necrolysis. This is a life-threatening condition where the top layer of the skin called the epidermis separates from the lower dermis, leading to severe blistering, skin erosions and swelling. It occurs in people who take a medication they're allergic to and can be brought on by exposure to U.V. light from the sun or from a tanning bed.

The danger is that a tanner will visit a tanning salon to treat a rash they've self-diagnosed as psoriasis or eczema, not knowing that they actually have a rash related to a drug they're taking. When they expose their skin to ultraviolet radiation, it can bring on this very severe form of skin condition that has a mortality rate of 20%.

The trend of treating skin rashes by visiting a tanning salon is a growing one among young people, and most aren't aware of the dangers of tanning beds if they're taking certain medications.

Dangers of Tanning Beds: The Bottom Line?

Visiting tanning salons carries with it the risk of skin cancer and premature aging, but if you're taking medications and step into a tanning salon you could get a severe sunburn or, even worse, toxic epidermal necrolysis. Never visit a tanning bed if you're taking medications or have a skin rash without consulting your doctor first. Even better? Stay away from tanning salons entirely.

References:

Medical News Today. "Tanning Bed Exposure Can Be Deadly When Complicated By Medication Reactions"

Merck Manual. Eighteenth edition. 2006.