Ohio Governor John Kasich recently signed House Bill 131, which requires an operator or employee of a tanning facility to determine if a customer seeking tanning services is at least 18 years old.  The bill requires parents to be at the tanning facility to sign a consent form each time anyone younger than 18 years old wants to use the tanning beds. And for children under the age of 16, a parent must stay at the tanning facility while their child uses the tanning beds.  House Bill 131 goes into effect this March.  In the past, a person under the age of 18 could use tanning services with a permission note from their parent or legal guardian.  An increased number of skin cancer occurrences led to the creation of this new law, according to law officials.  According to Dr. Adam Hessel of Buckeye Dermatology with offices in Dublin and Grove City Ohio, “There has been an increase in skin cancer, and tanning bed use increases the risk of developing skin cancer.  This law will help protect minors from the risks of tanning beds, which includes not only developing skin cancer but also the development of premature aging, wrinkling, and brown sunspots.  Young people and their parents should understand that unwanted signs of aging are a reason to avoid tanning beds in addition to developing skin cancer.”

For more information:

http://www.skincancer.org/healthy-lifestyle/tanning

www.buckeyedermatology.com