@sorrygobbler32

1 year ago

Serious question then, as someone very knowledgeable in medicine but not a dermatologist, how is a tanning bed comparable to the recommendation to get sunlight every day? I thought that some UV radiation was important for us. Say you have to be asleep during the day and get no sunlight, how is 10-20 minutes of tanning bed use on a light mode any different in the risks/benefits? If they have more UV rays then would a low power or low time tanning bed use be equivalent? Could they make a "sunlight bed" that has all of the benefits of sunlight to replace that need? If UV rays aren't good at all could they make a sunlight bed with more of the good stuff without the cancer risk of the sun?


I'm sure that people who use tanning beds in a noticeable way are probably overdoing it, but you said there is no safe tanning bed use. Do you mean available or it's impossible? I mean surely tanning beds are the closest thing we can get to replacing sunlight for those with nighttime jobs or winter depression.

I'm asking all of this due to my knowledge of medicine/sciences, but also because I've had issues with winter depression. I wanted to start using the tanning bed as needed to try and alleviate those issues, as sunlight is most important. My research showed that the fancy lights they sell might help but they don't replicate sunlight, and getting sunlight in the spring is always what clears my fogginess.

I understand this message was for average people but I think it's kinda obtuse to say a blanket statement like that. I mean technically nothing we do is safe and we just pick the least bad option. Well surely light tanning bed use instead of depression is better. I feel like you/whomever this dermatologist shouldn't be making statements like this as a scientist/physician. You can say it's not recommended and very risky but any well traveled physician/scientist knows that there are no absolutes.

I'm not trying to be rude or disrespect you, I just think any statements like that regardless of evidence are wrong. You should have at least said all of our evidence says tanning beds are unsafe. This is in a very light way manipulating the patient to do what you believe instead of explaining the evidence then letting them decide.

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