Doctors slam Kim Kardashian’s tanning bed boast after sister’s melanoma diagnosis

They say trends recycle, but the early aughts tanning bed craze is one we probably shouldn’t relive.

Much to the chagrin of dermatologists everywhere, beauty-obsessed Kim Kardashian showed off her in-office tanning bed during a humorous TikTok teaser for her forthcoming collection of cosmetics.

“I’m Kim Kardashian, of course I have a tanning bed and a red light bed in my office,” the SKKN mogul says in the video, which has since racked up over 14 million views and features models of her private jet and her brain and a wall covered in her framed magazine covers.

But the SKIMS founder’s tanning booth boast vexed dermatologists online, who reminded viewers that there is “no such thing as a safe tan.”

Tanning beds have been linked to skin cancer in an overwhelming number of studies over the years. Specifically, it raises the risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma, the two most common kinds, by 58% and 24% respectively, and increases the odds of melanoma by 47%.

“Kim, no disrespect, but why do you have a tanning bed when your sister has had a history of melanoma herself?” board-certified dermatologist Dr. Scott Walter said in a TikTok video, referencing Khloe Kardashian’s skin cancer diagnosis.

Some Kardashian fans keeping up with the famous family noted that Kim has psoriasis, suggesting that the tanning bed might be to treat the chronic condition that results in itchy patches on the skin.

However, experts have debunked the theory that tanning booths offer the same benefits as medicinal light therapy, which involves exposure to either ultraviolet light B (UVB) or ultraviolet light A (UVA) — the latter of which requires the administration of the “light-sensitizing agent” psoralens, applied in a cream or taken orally.

While both types of light are present in sunlight, UVB is generally considered the most effective method of light therapy for psoriasis. That being said, tanning beds emit more UVA light, and, without the application of psoralens, it is virtually useless for treating skin conditions.

One 2015 study, which analyzed past reports regarding tanning bed effectiveness for various skin ailments, found that tanning beds could potentially be an option for those without access to traditional light therapy.

However, experts seem to agree that the skin damage risks outweigh the minimal benefits.

“While tanning beds may provide your skin with a specific look in the short term, it actually accelerates your skin’s aging process in the long run, ” double board certified pediatrician Dr. Zachary Rubin said in a TikTok video.

Because tanning beds mostly emit UVA light, indoor tanning booths do not offer the same vitamin D you would get from being in the sun, which primarily is supplied by UVB rays.

He also debunked the longstanding myth that jet setters getting a “base tan” ahead of a tropical vacation will prevent sunburn. That is “wrong,” he said.

“If you have a family history of skin cancer just like Kim does, then you have a higher risk of developing skin cancer as well,” he added. “So there’s really no reason to use a tanning bed.”

The Post has reached out to Kim’s representatives for comment.

The aging properties of tanning beds starkly contrast the businesswoman’s pursuit of youth; the gym regular once quipped that she would “eat poop” if it could make her look younger.

“I was kind of joking, but now that I think about it, I would probably eat s–t if someone told me, ‘If you eat this bowl of poop every single day, you’ll look younger,’” she later admitted during an interview with Allure, during which she dished about her late-night laser treatment sessions and the Botox injections in her face.

“I care. I really, genuinely care about looking good,” Kardashian added at the time. “I probably care more than 90% of the people on this planet. It’s not easy when you’re a mom and you’re exhausted at the end of the day or you’re in school, and I’m all of the above.