A study conducted by a panel of researchers at the University of California, San Francisco and published in the online British Medical Journal has claimed that indoor tanning beds may be a major cause of non-melanoma skin cancers in some.

Though, it is not new that the use of indoor tanning beds has been linked to skin cancers. But the study is the first of its kind. Since, previous studies had only related the use to melanoma, which is an advanced form of skin cancer.

The current study says that a person's risks of developing squamous cell carcinoma or basal cell carcinoma may also rise with the use of tanning beds. Also, the ones who tan themselves before the age of 25 years are at higher risks, the researchers say.

12 studies present in medical literature were analyzed and the same led them to say that almost 170,000 people get the two forms of skin cancers each year in the US. It is being said that squamous cell carcinoma risk increases by 67% and basal cell carcinoma risk boosts by some 29%.

"People go to tanning beds because they like the feeling of the beds and like to look tan, and don't understand the risks involved", said researcher Eleni Linos, MD, DrPH.