The Society of Dermatology Physician Associates (SDPA) expresses its disappointment in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) decision to withdraw its proposal to ban minors from using sunlamps.  

Americans develop skin cancer more often than any other cancer¹. Every day, around 9,500 people in the U.S. receive a skin cancer diagnosis².  Around 20 people die from melanoma each day as well³. Studies show that using tanning beds before age 20 can increase the risk of developing melanoma – the deadliest form of skin cancer – by 47%, and the risk rises with each use⁴. The proposed rule, which would have also required indoor tanning operators’ customers to read and sign a health risk acknowledgement before using a sunlamp, could have played a meaningful role in preventing skin cancer. 

SDPA stands ready to partner with the FDA to reinforce the scientific evidence supporting stronger rules on indoor tanning and to advance policies that protect public health, particularly among youth.

¹ https://www.cdc.gov/skin-cancer/statistics/index.html 

² Rogers HW, Weinstock MA, Feldman SR, Coldiron BM. Incidence estimate of nonmelanoma skin cancer (keratinocyte carcinomas) in the US population, 2012. JAMA Dermatol 2015; 151(10):1081-1086. 

³ Siegel RL, Kratzer TB, Wagle NS, Sung H, Jemal A. Cancer statistics, 2026. CA Cancer J Clin. 2026;76(1):e70043.