Tanning Beds: Are They Safe?

Spring is almost here. Prom is weeks away. School year-end beauty competitions for scholarships are near. Swimsuit season hits within months.

It seems like the perfect time for teens to get a “base tan” in a tanning bed.

Tanning beds still pump out ultraviolet rays, causing long-term skin damage and increasing the chances of melanoma. They are not a viable alternative for obtaining vitamin D, as one would get from sunshine. And, that base tan is your body trying to protect you from more sun damage.

Dr. Debra Mulligan joins host Melanie Cole, MS, to share why you should advise your child against using a tanning bed.
Tanning Beds: Are They Safe?
Featuring:
Deborah Mulligan, MD
deborah Mulligan Dr. Deborah Mulligan received her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of San Francisco, Medical Doctorate from the University of California Los Angeles and completed pediatric emergency medicine training at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

As Director of the Institute for Child Health Policy and Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at Nova Southeastern University, she reports directly to the Chancellor. The Institute is a resource for communities, policy makers, public and private agencies, professional organizations, foundations, and academic institutions.

To be an optimal reserve, the ICHP at NSU conducts professional training and education, demonstration projects, engages in translational community-based participatory quantitative and qualitative research, developing evidence-based public policy, participating in and serving as a venue to nurture community-based advocacy and research.www.nova.edu/ichp.

The work emanating from ICHP has been recognized through coveted federal agency awards such as the SAMHSA Excellence in Community Communications and Outreach (ECCO) Gold award. Board certified in Pediatrics and Pediatric Emergency Medicine, past experience as physician executive includes role of Pediatric Services Medical Director for nation's fourth largest safety net hospital system serving a county of 1.6 million residents.