10:00 PM PDT on Sunday, April 29, 2007

California teenagers who want the bronzed look might not be able to rely on tanning beds much longer.

Assemblyman Ted Lieu, D-Torrance, has introduced legislation that would prohibit anyone under 18 from using tanning beds.

Health experts warn that repeated exposure to ultraviolet, or UV, radiation from the sun or tanning beds puts people at risk for skin cancer.

North Dakota, Utah and Virginia recently passed laws restricting teenagers' use of tanning beds, and proposals in a half dozen other states would limit teens' tanning.

In addition to California, Vermont is considering a ban on tanning devices for youths under 18.

Teenagers often take risks while ignoring the long-term consequences, so it makes sense to restrict them from tanning beds, Lieu said.

"Society just treats people differently who are under 18. They can't drink, they can't smoke, they can't even vote," Lieu said.

But many teenagers, and even some parents, don't think the state should interfere with whether teenagers can use tanning beds. Some teenagers said they only visit tanning salons for a month to get ready for beach season, or before special occasions such as the prom.

Ashley Davidson, 17, of Corona, visited a tanning salon four or five days a week for the past three weeks to get ready for her prom, which was Saturday. She started out at six minutes per session, but during the last few sessions was staying in the tanning bed for 20 minutes at a time.

She said she is aware of the risk of skin cancer, but isn't worried.

"I don't do it all the time," she said. "It's not like I do it every single day."

Many dermatologists and medical researchers say there is no completely safe amount of time spent under UV lights, although doctors sometimes prescribe limited amounts of UV light for conditions such as psoriasis.

"I look at tanning like I look at cigarette smoking. There is no proven safe level," said Dr. Jon Starr, a dermatologist in Palo Alto. He supports the idea of preventing those under 18 from using tanning beds.

"I just don't think they understand the long-term health effects of having a tan," he said. Several health organizations, including the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Dermatology, support a ban on the use of indoor-tanning equipment by anyone under 18.

Indoor tanning is a $5 billion industry. Teenagers generally make up no more than 5 percent to 10 percent of tanning salons' customers, according to John Overstreet, executive director of the Indoor Tanning Association.

But many salons are small businesses with slim profit margins, and a teen tanning ban could convince other customers that tanning is unsafe and drive them away, he said.

The Indoor Tanning Association points to studies that it claims show health benefits from tanning. Last week, the association's Web site featured a headline claiming that a recent Harvard study reported "UV light reduces risk of melanoma."

But the study's senior author, Dr. David Fisher of Harvard-affiliated Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, said Friday that the study did not show that at all. The study looked at how the formation of pigment is probably involved in the body's attempt to fight the carcinogenic effect of UV radiation, Fisher said.

A person who is able to tan is better able to fend off skin cancer than one who is not, he said.

"Neither of them is as well-off as a person who didn't go in the sun or a tanning booth to begin with," he said.

Sunlight does help the body produce vitamin D, but food and vitamin supplements can also provide sufficient levels of vitamin D, he said.

The president of a Temecula-based chain of tanning salons, Dream Tan, said he isn't worried about the legislation. Dream Tan President David Gradney noted the failure of an earlier attempt by a state legislator to ban those under 18 from using tanning beds. The 2004 measure was watered down to an under-14 ban before it was adopted.

Gradney said he recommends customers tan only once a week. Youths are better off coming to a tanning salon than getting a tan on the beach, because then they will hear advice about setting limits, he said.

Carolyn Mitchell, a government teacher and cheerleading coach at Santiago High School in Corona, said she knows many teenagers who use tanning beds to get ready for special events. She doesn't worry about her two youngest daughters using tanning beds.

"I'd rather them go in a controlled setting than go and bake in the sun all day," she said.