MADISON, Wis. -- A study published Tuesday concluded that tanning beds and other sources of ultraviolet radiation should be upgraded to the top cancer risk category.

A new analysis of about 20 studies concluded the risk of skin cancer jumps by 75 percent when people start using tanning beds before age 30.

The research was published in the medical journal Lancet Oncology, by experts at the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, the cancer arm of the World Health Organization.

The study moved tanning beds from the "probably carcinogenic" list to "definitely carcinogenic."

The research indicated that tanning beds are more dangerous than outdoor sun exposure because they emit ultraviolet light at greater intensity.

The new "definitely carcinogenic" label isn't the kind that tanning salons would want to post on the front door, but Madison Tanning Company said the risks have always been there, which is why staff members spend time with their customers before they tan.

"We ask them, 'Do you burn when you lay outside?' Because that helps you answer, 'Okay, can this person actually develop a tan?' If they say, 'I always burn,' then we want to make sure we reduce their amount of time in the bed always," said Tami Tetzlaff, director of operations for the Madison Tanning Company. "Sun burning is never healthy, indoors and outdoors, so that's something we do not want to see happen. So that's why we always practice our smart tanning."

Tetzlaff said she believes that tanning beds can offer some benefits, like essential vitamin D.

"I actually looked at that report today, and I think a lot of that report overlooked a lot of things," Tetzlaff said. "(Tanning beds) can also help minimize any possible risk with outdoor sun exposure. (People) can build up their base tan for vacations so they don't burn on vacations."

But Kathleen Rawlsky, whose brother died of melanoma in March 2005, said people need to be aware of the risks posed by using tanning beds.

"Somehow we got the mindset that it was safer to use a tanning bed than to be out in the natural sunlight. If you were going to go on spring break the idea was to go quick to a tanning bed before you went to Mexico, or wherever you were traveling, and in reality that is not true at all," Rawlsky said.

Rawlsky and her family helped found Ann's Hope Foundation to educate about melanoma cancer and raise money for research.

"If (melanoma) is not caught early, it is not treatable. People will die from it," Rawlsky said.

Rawlsky cited the new report, and others, that claim indoor tanning is actually more dangerous because there are more UW rays and they're more intense.

"In actuality, being out in the natural occurring sunlight, is two to three times less dangerous than being in a tanning bed," Rawlsky said.

Doctors recommend that people use sunscreen for any type of UV exposure -- indoors or out.

The Madison Tanning Company also offers sunless tanning options like Mystic Tan, a UV-free spray-on tan, for people who are concerned about the new study.

At least 29 states have set some form of restrictions on the use of tanning facilities by minors.

According to the American Cancer Society, melanoma accounts for less than 5 percent of skin cancer cases but causes a large majority of skin cancer deaths. This year alone, more than 68,000 new cases will be diagnosed.

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