Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Has A Dangerous Skin Habit (And He Should Know Better)

As U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., has made headlines for some curious — and perhaps unhealthy — lifestyle choices. These include Kennedy's gross hygiene habit of walking barefoot in public places, as well as promoting the use of beef tallow instead of seed oils. (Are seed oils really bad for you? We've fact-checked the controversial claim.)

However, one of his apparent habits isn't just unusual, but also potentially dangerous. Kennedy seems to frequent tanning beds, much like Donald Trump. In fact, Kennedy's constant suntan has earned him plenty of press, mainly because he seems to over-tan. As hypothesized by makeup artist Misha Lewis to HuffPost, Kennedy and Trump may have "intentionally began to tan themselves, likely without bronzer, and liked what they saw." Lewis added that she likened the habit to women who start using Botox, get good early results, and then begin to use it too much.

Yet Kennedy's striking ruddy-meets-orange glow is more than just tabloid fare. Artificial tanning use has been linked to a higher risk in the development of cancer.

The problem with tanning beds lies in the intensity of the ultraviolet (UV) ray exposure in a tanning bed, especially UVA rays (the ones linked to premature skin aging). In an interview for UnityPoint Health, Dr. Rachel Koziczkowski broke down exactly how different tanning indoors is from being in the sunlight: Explained Dr. Koziczkowski, "Tanning beds emit 12 times more UVA radiation than the sun." Her assertion is supported by the American Cancer Society, which reports that UVA rays are "reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen."

Studies have shown just how serious fake tanning can be. For example, a 2015 study in JAMA Dermatology found that 95% of young women who tanned indoors were six times as apt to develop melanoma than women who didn't tan by using indoor tanning beds. This matters because melanoma can spread rapidly throughout the body to the organs. For this reason, melanoma carries a higher death rate than other, more common, skin cancers. (Here's everything you wanted to know about melanoma.)

In fairness to Kennedy, he might not always be going to a tanning parlor to get in a tanning bed. Instead, he could be spray-tanning. However, he did seem to imply that he used tanning beds when he mentioned to The Atlantic that people should do as he says ("Get in shape,") and not what he does.

If Kennedy does use spray tans, he's choosing a tanning solution that's less harmful than a tanning bed. However, it can still cause issues in people who are sensitive to airborne chemicals like dihydroxyacetone (DHA), the active ingredient in spray tanners that has been approved as safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration but which may be an irritant when inhaled. As explained by Dr. Jeremy Fenton, "inhaling these sprays could trigger asthma, lead to COPD [chronic obstructive pulmonary disease] or other lung issues long term" (per Newsweek).

What if Kennedy is more into using tanning creams than beds or sprays? Self-tanners also rely on DHA, and may be irritating to some people's skin. But tanning lotions have been deemed relatively safe for use by healthy individuals with normal skin.