In December 2015, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a proposed rule that would restrict the use of indoor tanning devices for those under the age of 18. According to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published this month in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, implementing the FDA’s proposed age restriction could prevent almost 62,000 melanoma cases and over 6,700 melanoma deaths, and save $342.9 million in treatment costs over the lifetime of the 61.2 million youth ages 14 or younger in the U.S. The CDC found that these health and economic benefits increased as indoor tanning continued to be reduced.
The results of this study could be compelling for the majority of states, including Wisconsin, that currently have less restrictive or no age requirements related to indoor tanning. Wisconsin law currently bans the use of tanning beds for those under 16. However, 1 in 5 female high school students still report having used an indoor tanning device in the past year. To learn more about indoor tanning in Wisconsin, please read the WI CCC Issue Brief or see the WI CCC Program Infographic on melanoma.