As Dr. Yuelin Xu leaned in to examine Louise Day's face Wednesday afternoon, he discovered a suspicious patch on her nose.
About a month ago, Day had skin cancer removed from the same area.
The new patch was precancerous and easily treated with liquid nitrogen, but the first instance of cancer forces the 79-year-old to return to the Lansing office for frequent checkups.
Extensive sun exposure throughout Day's life working on a farm caught up with her this year.
"I've never laid in the sun or sunbathed," the Charlotte resident said. "This is something people who lay in the sun get, not people who work in the sun."
While students prepare to pack their luggage and head for sunny spring break locations, Day said she worries about the younger generations and their increasing desire to be under the rays.
As the tanning industry continues to expand, dermatologists like Xu warn that the cases of deadly skin cancer among young people continue to rise.
A report from the American Cancer Society cites exposure to tanning booths as one way to increase the risk of skin cancer.
"There's just no way to tan the skin in a tanning booth that doesn't have some risk involved," said Jon Kermite, health educator for Olin Health Center.
Tan appeal
During the week leading up to MSU's spring break, clientele at tanning salons jumped from a normal average of about 200 customers a day to almost 600 people a day at some locations.
About 30 million people in North America contribute to the $5 billion-a-year indoor tanning industry. It is expected to expand to $7.5 billion within five years, said Melissa Haynes, spokeswoman for the Indoor Tanning Association Inc.
Ralph Pyle, an MSU visiting assistant professor in sociology, said some studies show that physical appearance is important in social success and that people often view attractive individuals as socially superior.
"With the advent of these tanning booths, you don't have to go to Florida to get a good tan in December," Pyle said. "It's a way of dressing ourselves or presenting ourselves in a particular way to make a statement."
Some students agree that there is a desire to be tan in today's society.
"I actually started working at Abercrombie (& Fitch) in high school, and I was the only pale guy," said communication sophomore William French, who usually tans one or two times a week at Bronze Bay Tanning. "It's a lot more attractive ... especially during the winter."
Bronze Bay Tanning, 109 E. Grand River Ave., opened in December 2003 and now serves more than 3,000 clients, mainly from the student population. Owner Sarah Munkacsy said she is concerned with the safety of her customers.
"My business is important to me, but I'm more people-oriented," she said, adding that she speaks to customers regularly about safe amounts of tanning.
Medical experts said the idea of creating a "base tan" artificially before going on vacation can be helpful in preventing severe burns but that it is best to avoid sun and ultraviolet light exposure as much as possible.
Down the street, at B-Tan, 233 E. Grand River Ave., sales and client numbers have jumped by almost 50 percent during the past two and a half years, said the salon's manager Danyelle Smythe. She said most of her customers are aware of the health risks and know how to control the amount of time spent in the booth.
"I tell people a lot of the times, skin cancer isn't going to show up for 15 to 20 years, so you're not going to get it today," she said.
Salon owners said controlled use of tanning beds is safe and that it can have health benefits as well, such as an increase in Vitamin D. But some dermatologists believe that the tanning industry is using these health issues as a commercial ploy.
"Whatever they say, they have no legal responsibility," Xu said. "Whatever I say, there is science behind it."
Health concerns
At Xu's dermatology practice, the number of people diagnosed with skin cancer has steadily increased.
"The people we see are getting younger and younger," Xu said, adding that he has diagnosed teenagers with skin cancer.
The doctor attributes the increase in cases to people spending more time in the sunlight and wearing less clothing. He said lighter-skinned people are more susceptible to cancer because their skin burns more easily.
But many tanners said they aren't worried about the health implications.
"I've pretty much disregarded them because I've been tanning for so long," said marketing senior Ashlee Remington, who started tanning when she was 15 years old. "I'm a little obsessed about it. I guess I just like the color."
This year, the American Cancer Society estimates that 59,580 people in the United States, including 1,840 from Michigan, will be diagnosed with the most deadly form of skin cancer, called melanoma. The disease is expected to cause 7,770 deaths nationwide.
Each year, there are also more than one million cases of the least fatal cancers called basal cell or squamous cell.
Twenty-nine states have federal regulations on tanning devices. In Michigan, people under 18 years of age must have parental consent to use a tanning facility, and those under 14 years old must be accompanied by an adult. People of all ages also are required to use protective goggles.
Spray-on tanning provides a safe alternative to ultraviolet rays, and in some places, such as B-Tan, participation has doubled in the last two years. People also can lower their risk of cancer by protecting their skin with proper application of sunscreen and covering up with clothing.
"I don't really like doing it," said Katie Hughes, a James Madison freshman, who has tanned for a few weeks only to prepare for a trip to the Bahamas. "I've just kind of accepted that I don't get that tanned."
Claire Cummings can be reached at cummin94@msu.edu.
