Kim Kardashian made headlines last week when she revealed she has a tanning bed inside her office—but the reality TV star said she uses it for medical purposes. The saga started when Kardashian, 43, shared a video on TikTok. “I’m Kim Kardashian, of course I have a tanning bed—and a red light bed—in my office,” she said to viewers. That was enough to rile up concerns.
“Please, Kim Kardashian, don’t try to normalize tanning beds,” Allure magazine said on Twitter, sharing a link to an article on the controversy.
Kardashian responded to the outlet. “I have psoriasis and it really helps when it’s bad,” she wrote on Twitter. “But I don’t use it too often.”
Allure was right—indoor tanning is linked to skin cancer. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, indoor tanning increases the risk of the two most common types of skin cancer—squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma—by 58% and 24%, respectively. And using tanning beds before the age of 20 increases your chances of developing melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, by 47%—a risk that increases with each use.
But was Kardashian right as well? Could indoor tanning help manage symptoms of psoriasis? Here’s what dermatologists want you to know before getting those artificial rays.
Psoriasis is an autoimmune condition that causes inflammation in the skin—skin cells multiply too quickly, and form scaly, inflamed patches. Ultraviolet (UV) light, according to Gary Goldenberg, MD, board-certified dermatologist and co-owner of Goldenberg Dermatology, can tamp down the skin’s immune system, which can then help decrease inflammation in the skin.
But, while the UV light may help relieve psoriasis symptoms, dermatologists do not recommend using tanning beds as a treatment for the condition.
“Tanning beds could result in some improvement of psoriasis symptoms,” said Ife J. Rodney, MD, board-certified dermatologist, dermatopathologist, and founding director of Eternal Dermatology + Aesthetics, “but there’s a big downside because you’re also getting other rays we don’t necessarily recommend.”
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