Dr. Pedram Gerami and his team at Northwestern University’s medical school sought to find out what was happening at a cellular level with tanning bed users. Gerami took skin samples from tanning bed users and compared them with samples from nonusers. The World Health Organization has long classified tanning beds as a cancer-causing agent in the same category as tobacco and asbestos. Using tanning beds before age 20 can increase your chances of developing melanoma by 47%, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. Rather than talking about skin cancer, parents can emphasize how excess sun exposure can cause skin to look leathery or wrinkly, she said.