Erica Smith avoided the sun, but used a tanning bed for three years. By age eighteen, she was diagnosed with Melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer.
"In high school I wanted to look good but really I was just frying myself," said patient Erika Smith. According to the American Cancer Society 112 thousand Americans will find out this year that they have Melanoma. That's why there's an effort in congress now to get the FDA to look at whether tanning beds need stronger labels warning of the risks of ultraviolet light exposure.
Meanwhile, a study at the University of Colorado reviewed more than 100 high school newspapers and found that almost a third of them contained ads from tanning salons. Dr. Robert Dellavalle, of the University of Colorado School of Medicine said "they were advertising discounts for students, prom specials, bring in your student ID, unlimited tanning." This happens even though the World Health Organization says kids under 18 should not use tanning beds.
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