Kim Kardashian responds to criticism over tanning bed in her office: 'I don't use it too often'

Kim Kardashian is responding to criticism of the tanning bed in her office after she posted a tour of her new skin care brand's headquarters.

On Jan. 18, she shared a video taking fans around her office, and along with her magazine covers lining the walls, she also showed off the tanning bed. But fans were quick to point out that tanning beds increase risk of skin cancer and that Kardashian's sister, Khloe, has publicly shared her skin cancer journey.

In response to the backlash, Kim Kardashian posted on X, formerly known as Twitter: "I have psoriasis and it really helps when it’s bad. But I don’t use it too often."

Psoriasis is a condition where patches of skin become scaly or inflamed due to an overactive immune system; the cause isn't fully understood, according to the National Institutes of Health. Therapy with ultraviolet light B is an effective treatment for psoriasis, per the National Psoriasis Foundation, but tanning beds usually use Ultraviolet light A.

The National Psoriasis Foundation "does not support the use of indoor tanning beds as a substitute for phototherapy performed with a prescription and under a health care provider’s supervision," the group says on its website.

In her Jan. 18 video, the Skims founder starts to lie down in the tanning bed as she says, "I'm Kim Kardashian. Of course I have a tanning bed. And a red-light bed."

On Sept. 19, Khloe Kardashian shared that she had melanoma, the deadliest type of skin cancer, removed from her face and thanked her doctor.

“For those who do not know I had a skin cancer scare on my face,” Kardashian wrote in an Instagram story posted Sept. 19. “My angel @garthmd is who I trusted with removing the tumor. Dr. Fischer is out of this world Fabulous!”

Some people took to X to share their confusion over Kim's video in light of her sister's diagnosis.

"Kim Kardashian has a tanning bed in her home, didn’t her sister Khloe get diagnosed with melanoma recently…yikes," one X user wrote.

Others were also upset that she appeared to be promoting tanning beds.

"And WHEN @KimKardashian gets skin cancer from her tanning bed she will be giving us a sob story! You’d think she’d have some cop on because Khloe had it! Absolute moron! All the young people who follow her! get in the sea Kim," a X user posted.

"The wildest thing about the ‘Im Kim Kardashian’ video is that her sister had skin cancer and she still has a tanning bed in her office? I feel like the video just proves that she doesn’t actually know anything about skin care and wouldn’t make me trust her products," another person wrote.

Doctors on TikTok also weighed in on the video.

One user with the handle @doctormichaelsays posted a video responding to Kardashian's: "Kim, do you remember when Khloe had a melanoma on her face? Do you remember that she ended up with a big scar? ... Yet here you are showing off something that we know causes skin cancer."

Dermatologist Dr. Scott Walters stitched Kim's office tour video into his post. "Kim, no disrespect, but why do you have a tanning bed when your sister has had a history of melanoma herself?" he said.

Walters went on to share that melanoma has strong genetic and age components to it.

"Having a family history of melanoma increases your risk by 74%," he wrote on the video. "Indoor tanning before the age of 35 increases your risk of melanoma by 75%."

According to the American Academy of Dermatology, studies have shown that exposure to UV radiation from indoor tanning beds is associated with an increased risk of melanoma, as well as non-melanoma skin cancers like squamous cell and basal cell carcinomas.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com