(Oliver Wisco)
Skin cancer is the most diagnosed cancer in the United States. Melanoma represents a smaller share of cases but causes most skin cancer deaths. The American Cancer Society estimates that approximately 112,000 new cases of melanoma will be diagnosed nationwide in 2026.
Despite widespread awareness of the dangers of ultraviolet radiation and the direct link to skin cancer, tanning remains common in backyards, at beaches and in tanning salons. A pilot study conducted at Brown University offers insight into why young adults continue tanning even when they understand many of the risks.
Nikitha Bhimireddy, a university student and Dr. Oliver Wisco, Director of Cutaneous Oncology at Brown University and the founder of Dermatology Health Specialists in Central Oregon, led a study that surveyed 82 university students. One in four respondents reported intentionally darkening their skin and more than 90% named sun tanning as their most common method, considerably more common than bronzing makeup or self-tanners.
A Habit That Often Starts at Home
Most students who tanned said they began between ages 16 and 18. Family influence outweighed social media, advertising and celebrities in shaping how they viewed skin tone.
Similarly, a JAMA Dermatology study found that 44.5% of people who began indoor tanning before age 16 did so with a family member, most often their mother.
This family influence may help explain why tanning habits are difficult to change. Nearly half of the students who had intentionally darkened their skin said they planned to continue sun tanning, even though most understood that tanning beds are harmful.
The clearest knowledge gap involved the idea of a “base tan.” Only about half of respondents correctly recognized that a base tan does not provide meaningful protection from future sun damage. More than one-third were unsure.
Why a Base Tan Does Not Protect the Skin
The belief that a light tan can prepare the skin for additional sun exposure remains a persistent misconception.
A tan develops after ultraviolet radiation damages skin cells and triggers increased melanin production. The darker color is a response to UV exposure, not a protective barrier. A person with a base tan can still burn and continue accumulating cellular and DNA damage.
Indoor tanning carries particularly well-established risks. Research summarized by the Skin Cancer Foundation estimates that indoor tanning is associated with more than 419,000 cases of skin cancer in the United States each year, including basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma.
People who have used indoor tanning devices face a higher risk of squamous cell carcinoma. Women who have tanned indoors are also six times more likely to be diagnosed with melanoma in their 20s than women never have. Ultraviolet damage accumulates over time; tanning during adolescence and early adulthood may contribute to skin cancer that appears decades later.
Moving From Awareness to Action
The Brown University pilot study suggests that public health messaging has been relatively successful in communicating the dangers of tanning beds; nearly 88% of respondents correctly identified them as harmful.
The message is less clear for outdoor tanning. Because sunlight is natural and sun tanning is often treated as a routine part of summer, some young adults may not view it with the same caution as indoor tanning.
That distinction matters in Central Oregon, where many communities sit at higher elevations. UV intensity generally increases with elevation, though exposure also varies with season, time of day and cloud cover.
Dermatologists recommend using a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30, seeking shade during peak sunlight hours, and wearing protective clothing, hats and sunglasses. Sunscreen should be reapplied approximately every two hours and after swimming or sweating. These precautions matter regardless of whether someone already has a tan; a base tan does not make additional sun exposure safe.
Because attitudes toward tanning often begin at home, sun-safety conversations may work best when parents and relatives take part, modeling protective habits rather than treating a tan as a sign of health.
Knowing that tanning can be harmful is an important first step. Turning that knowledge into everyday choices before years of accumulated damage begin to show is critical to long-term skin health.
