Lawmakers call spray tanning incident disturbing

Two area legislators believe the law needs to be revised to alleviate what they both described as a disturbing situation that unfolded in recent weeks at a Greene County tanning salon and is likely to be happening throughout the state of Indiana.

District 45 State Rep. Bruce Borders (R-Jasonville) and District 63 State Rep. Sandy Blanton (D-Orleans) agree the situation that happened in the tanning establishment needs to be looked at.

Both also agree that minor-aged patrons need to be protected from potential exploitation by an adult.

To explain, the incident involved a 15-year-old girl who went to the tanning salon to get a spray-on tan applied before going to her high school prom. Unknown to the owner, the teen girl apparently forged a permission slip with the name of one of her parents.

The salon owner, who is a male, proceeded to apply the tanning spray in a private room to the nude girl.

When her mother found out what had happened she was livid and disciplined the girl.

The mother then contacted county law enforcement officials and learned that the act is not against current Indiana law.

Borders said he finds the situation disturbing and promised to look into current law on the books and if there aren't any that would regulate this practice, he said he would possibly like to sponsor a bill to rectify this.

Borders said he would have Legislative Services staff research the matter.

"I definitely would be interested in taking a look at that. I think it is one of those things that you can remedy a problem without doing away with the (spray) process. Obviously those spray-on tans from what we know are not an unsafe thing," he said. "That's one of those laws that would be ready-made for some good testimony. It's one of those that is almost fitting to have a good law written. Some things are kind of messy and I don't think that one would be that hard to tweak and make it work and make a good law to protect minors."

State Rep. Blanton agrees and said she finds the situation upsetting to her as a mother and a legislator.

"I think this sounds very unusual," she said Friday morning. "That just sounds terrible.

"I am just shocked that the girl would get nude and that the fellow (the salon owner) would ask her to. I'm just shocked about the whole situation. This is something that definitely needs looked into. My teenage daughter is 39 years old now, but I don't think I'd like it very much for her to have to go through something like that even at 39."

Blanton said she would confer with her fellow lawmaker Borders and have Legislative Services look into the matter and see if something might be able to be drafted next session.

"We'll certainly see what we can get going on that and do some research," Blanton said. "I will talk to Bruce (Borders) and see what we can get going."

Sunless spray tanning products are generally felt to be safer than conventional tanning bed applications that expose the skin to potentially harmful UV rays.

The active ingredient in most sunless tanning products is dihydroxyacetone (DHA), according to a bulletin from the Mayo Clnic.

The bulletin reads: "When applied to your skin, DHA reacts with dead cells in the outermost layer of skin to temporarily darken the skin's appearance. The coloring doesn't wash off, but it gradually fades as the dead skin cells slough off. In most cases, the color is completely gone after five to seven days. Sunless tanning products typically go on clear, and you might see results after about an hour. Full color appears within eight to 24 hours. Some products contain a tint, which darkens your skin right away. Spray-on tanning is available at salons, spas and tanning businesses. These professional applications can provide an even, full-body tan. Sunless tanning products are generally regarded as safe alternatives to sunbathing. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers DHA safe when applied to your skin."