By Peggy Lim
19 July 2007

RALEIGH, N.C. - Between college classes, Rebekah Hales, 20, can squeeze in trips to Maui or Waikiki.

That is - two tanning rooms at University Suites, an apartment complex near N.C. State University.

Alongside more typical features such as pools, foosball and fitness centers, tanning beds are becoming a hot amenity in apartments that cater to students. The trend worries dermatologists, who warn that increased exposure to ultraviolet rays for young people can increase their risk of skin cancer.

Students such as Hales aren’t too concerned yet. The Meredith College junior loves sporting a tan, especially for strapless dresses she wears to spring and fall formals. She was psyched about no longer having to fork over $20 to $30 a month for memberships at a tanning salon. Last month she moved into University Suites, where tanning beds come free with rent.

"Now, I can go any time I want to," said Hales, pink after a session lathered in Mojo Bronzing Sauce. Packed with agave nectar and turmeric, the moisturizer tingles her skin and supposedly brings out more pigment for a better tan, she said. Every few days, wearing little besides protective goggles, Hales hops into a clamshell bed lined with lightbulbs.

North Carolina has about 9,000 tanning beds or booths listed with the state Radiation Protection Section, which regulates their use. They show up in salons and odd places from backyard sheds and video stores to gas stations and coin laundries.

University Suites, off Tryon Road near NCSU’s Centennial Campus, installed tanning beds in 2003. They were an immediate hit with students, said Barbara Oaks, regional manager.

"Prior to spring break, we tan from about 10 a.m. until 7:30 at night," she said. "Those two rooms stay solid occupied."

Other apartment managers soon were asking Oaks for advice about tanning beds. About six complexes near NCSU now have at least one or two, and Wolf Creek Apartments has five. Apartments near UNC-Chapel Hill also began offering indoor tanning in the last two years.

"It was new, something nobody else had," Oaks said. "And everybody just wanted to jump on board."

Many dermatologists, however, warn that tanning - whether indoors or outdoors - can lead to melanoma, the most dangerous form of common skin cancers. Exposure to tanning beds before age 35 can boost risk of melanoma by 75 percent, according to a study published in March by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

"If you have it as an amenity, that might lead to more frequent use if it’s available all the time," said Nancy Thomas, an associate professor of dermatology at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Clayton Garland, a senior in professional golf management at NCSU, said he probably wouldn’t go out of his way to tan if beds weren’t offered where he lives. He wanted to work on a deeper shade for the summer, and discovered the beds at University Suites to be a quick option.

"You can tan for 20 minutes, and you’re good," Garland said. "If you’re busy, it’s tough to lay out by the pool for an hour."

Garland feels safer sliding into a tanning bed than sunning outside, because the beds automatically cut off after a set time limit, no more than 20 minutes.

"You know you’re not going to burn," he said.

But dermatologists say the absence of burns is no proof tanning beds are safe. Tanning beds emit concentrated doses of UVA radiation. Although UVA rarely causes sunburn, it can still inflict deep skin damage.

Tanning industry groups counter that tanning beds can have health benefits, such as aiding the body in producing vitamin D. They say building a "base tan" can even help vacationers increase their exposure to UV light without burning - something dermatologists dispute.

University Suites employees say they caution residents about the risks. They plaster their tanning rooms with posters, reminding tanners of the state law to wear protective goggles. And they advise students on tanning schedules for their skin types.

Hales, the Meredith junior, hopes tanning indoors with moderation is no more harmful than what she’d be doing otherwise: soaking up rays outdoors.

"I understand skin cancer is really prominent right now," she said. "But laying out in the sun is just as bad."

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© 2007, The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.).

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