Tanning beds may cause as many as 1 in 20 new cases of melanoma each year, according to a new analysis of European skin cancer studies.
The findings, reported in the British Medical Journal, suggest sunbeds annually contribute to thousands of cases of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, and that “tougher actions” are warranted to warn consumers and limit exposure to children.

To reach their conclusions, researchers from the International Prevention Research Institute in France and the European Institute of Oncology in Italy analyzed 27 studies on skin cancer and sunbed use between 1981 and 2012 in the U.K., France and Germany.
In analyzing the 11,428 skin cancer cases in those studies, researchers calculated the increased risk of skin cancer resulting from any sunbed use at 20 percent for most people, when compared to those who had never used a tanning bed. The risk doubles for people who start using sunbeds under 35 years of age. Based on that calculation, they estimated 5.4 percent of the 63,942 new cases of melanoma diagnosed every year in Western Europe (more than 3,400) may be caused by sunbed use.
The researchers said the findings suggest "tougher actions" are warranted to warn consumers of the risks and that tanning under the age of 18 should be restricted.