FDA Withdraws Proposed Rule on Tanning Bed Regulation

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is withdrawing a proposed rule, “General and Plastic Surgery Devices: Restricted Sale, Distribution, and Use of Sunlamp Products,” which was published in the Federal Register in 2015. The proposed rule would have imposed fuller restrictions on the use of tanning beds, including by individuals under the age of 18—a practice that is known to increase the chances of developing skin cancer.

The proposed rule would have also required all prospective users to read and sign a risk acknowledgement certification before using the devices, and require tanning facility operators to provide a user manual to users or prospective users upon request, as reported by Happi.

Both the American Academy of Dermatology and the Skin Cancer Foundation issued statements about the clawing back of the proposed rule.

AAD’s Position

The Agency’s change of direction prompted immediate pushback from skin health stakeholders.

Susan C. Taylor, MD, FAAD, president, American Academy of Dermatology, issued a formal statement that she was “disappointed” by FDA’s withdrawal of the proposed rule. In the statement, she cited the links between exposure to UV radiation from indoor tanning devices and the increased risk of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, as well as nonmelanoma skin cancers, including squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma.

According to AAD, using tanning beds before age 20 can increase the risk of developing melanoma by 47%, and the risk rises with each use. Adolescents who begin indoor tanning before age 18 are also more likely to continue their behavior into adulthood.

“Restricting teens’ access to indoor tanning and informing the public about the dangers of indoor tanning are critical to preventing skin cancer. As medical doctors who diagnose and treat skin cancer, dermatologists are committed to reducing its incidence and saving lives. We encourage the reintroduction of the proposed rule by the FDA,” stated Dr. Taylor.

FDA’s ‘Reasoning’

FDA said received more than 8,100 comments on the proposed rule from industry associations, medical and healthcare professional associations, law firms, cancer advocacy groups, and other interested parties, including individuals.

“In general, the comments discussed the dangers of UV radiation from sunlamp products; scientific aspects of the Proposed Rule; vulnerability of young people to the risks of sunlamp products; support for personal choice and parental decision-making; availability and relative safety of sunlamp product alternatives; and compliance burdens on small businesses,” FDA stated.

Skin Cancer Foundation

The Skin Cancer Foundation also shared its disappointment with the Agency, noting that it “strongly supports measures that discourage people from engaging in dangerous and potentially deadly indoor tanning practices, particularly when individuals are uninformed about the potential health hazards caused by the ultraviolet radiation emitted by these devices or when these individuals are not of an age to truly be able to consent to practices that can have long-term consequences to their health.”

According to data shared by the organization, those who begin tanning before age 35 increase their melanoma risk by almost 75%.

The Foundation cited a December 2025 paper from Northwestern Medicine and University of California, San Francisco entitled “Molecular effects of indoor tanning,” that presented study results showing people who use tanning beds have more DNA damage in their skin cells than people twice their age who don’t use tanning beds.

Deborah S. Sarnoff, MD, president of The Skin Cancer Foundation noted, “It is our hope that the FDA reviews the scientific evidence and reconsiders this decision. In the meantime, The Skin Cancer Foundation will continue to educate the public about the dangers of UV tanning beds.”

FDA, in its withdrawal announcement, said it “continues to consider regulatory initiatives” related to sunlamp products.

“The withdrawal of the Proposed Rule does not preclude the Agency from reinstituting rulemaking concerning the issues addressed in the proposal. Should we decide to undertake such rulemaking in the future, we will issue a proposed rule and provide a new opportunity for comment,” read a statement signed by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., secretary, Department of Health and Human Services.

Kennedy is reportedly a user of tanning beds, as shown on Reddit.