Living in Southern California, laying outside and sunbathing are as much a part of our lives as traffic is for New Yorkers. But while the popular pastime is relaxing, and the tan achieved is considered attractive, all types of tanning have been proven to be dangerous, along with having both short-term and long-term effects.
According to the Discovery Health Website, your skin becomes darker after being in the sun or a tanning bed because the ultraviolet light (UV rays) in sunlight or other UV radiation emitters react with melanin in the skin, causing it to darken (howstuffworks.com). While many cultures (including Beach-bum San Diegans) have the attitude that darker skin is more attractive, achieving it has been proven to be harmful to one’s current and future health.
Being painfully marked with a sunburn means your skin has been exposed to too much UV radiation, and this can increase the risk of all types of skin cancer, including melanoma. Basically, sunburns don’t just make your skin hot, red, and itchy. It causes cellular damage that can lead to premature aging, such as gaining sun spots, wrinkles, or “leathery skin” (fda.gov). By not wearing sunscreen at 16, you could look a lot older than you actually are in 30 years. But if you want to look like an old couch, then by all means continue tanning.
Another faster and more dangerous form of tanning can be found in places like Hollywood Tans, Tan 4 Less, and Tan Diego, where UV sunlamps are used to darken skin. The UV concentration in tanning beds is much higher than the sun’s, enabling a quicker tan (fda.gov). Think of it this way: while a bit of an exaggeration, lying in a tanning bed is not unlike cookies being in a toasty oven…with your skin being the dough that becomes darker and eventually hard and crispy.
Sophomore Helena Almassy feels that the risks of tanning outweigh the rewards, and said, “Tanning doesn’t make you cool. You shouldn’t make yourself look like an oompa loompa when all you get back is a higher risk of skin cancer. If you don’t put on sunscreen or cover up, it’s like saying, ‘I don’t care if I get skin cancer soon.’”
New Jersey Mom Patricia Krentcil is a perfect example of a tanning addict, and is considered by many dermatologists to be “tanorexic.” Krentcil was recently arrested for allegedly going into a tanning bed with her five-year-old daughter. More alarming then her arrest, however, was Krentcil herself, and her nearly copper color. Even Snooki believed Krentcil had gone too far, saying “that b*tch is crazy!” (huffingtonpost.com).
While tan skin is debatably attractive, carefully weigh the pros of being a little darker with the possibility of the negative effects for your future health as you lay on the beach this summer. And when it comes to those tanning beds, if you decide to use them, make sure to use a moderate setting – unless you want to end up looking like Patricia “Tanning Mom” Krentcil with her glorious leather-couch colored skin.