An editorial in the December 2015 issue of JAMA Dermatology: “Skin Cancer Risk in Gay and Bisexual Men: A Call to Action” emphasizes the increased usage of indoor tanning and consequent higher rates of skin cancer by sexual minority men (gay and bisexual).
Sexual minority men reported a 12 month frequency of indoor tanning of 5.1 to 7.4% compared to 1.5 to 1.6% for heterosexual men.
In 2009 the International Agency of Research on Cancer assigned Indoor Tanning as a Group 1 Carcinogen.
Sexual minority men also reported higher rates of non melanoma skin cancer.
Interestingly, sexual minority women tanned indoors less frequently than heterosexual women and also reported less non melanoma skin cancer than heterosexual women did.
The editorial ends by stating that skin cancer risk reduction in sexual minority men is “an area in urgent need of research”.
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