Everybody wants to make their skin into a deep, dark tan. Especially when summer looms, many people start considering the best way to get that signature glow. Sitting outside by the pool or tanning beds are just a couple of the ways. But before you commit yourself to spending hours perfecting your tan, consider the damaging effects of tanning and tanning beds.
How Tanning Happens...
The sun's rays produce two types of high energy ultraviolet radiation, UVA and UVB. UVB radiation cannot penetrate your skin and causes surface level damage such as sunburns. UVA radiation is what makes people tan. UVA rays penetrate deep into your skin where they trigger melanocytes to produce a brown pigment which we see as tanning. This pigment is called melanin, and it is our body's way of protecting skin from burning. A person who tans easier than another means that their melanocytes able to produce more melanin when triggered by these UVA rays. However, just because a person doesn't burns easydoes not mean that they are less prone to skin cancer or other problems.
Indoor Tanning...
Both UVA and UVB rays contribute to skin aging. Both types also can cause potentially cancerous changes in your cells' DNA. And, according to a recent study, radiation from just 10 indoor-tanning sessions in 2 weeks can suppress a person's cancer-fighting immune system.
Although tanning beds use UVA light, the concentration of UVA rays from a tanning bed is greater than that from the sun. And despite manufacturer claims, some tanning lamps do also emit UVB light. So if you try indoor tanning, you'll absorb far more rays in the long run, significantly age your skin, and put yourself at even greater risk for skin cancer.
What Tanning Salons Don't Tell You...
A 2002 study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that users of tanning beds and lamps had substantially increased risks of basal and squamous cell carcinoma, the two most common types of skin cancer.
Minimizing Your Risk...
People who have tanned in the past already have skin damage — even if they can't see it yet — and need to be very cautious about additional UV exposure. Like everyone else, they should wear sunscreen or sun-protective clothing (or both) while outdoors, and a dermatologist should check their skin periodically for suspicious moles or other lesions.
But you don't have to go without that sun-bronzed look. The new generation of self-tanners and spray-on tans offer easy, realistic results at a reasonable price. Just be sure to use a daily sunblock with an SPF of at least 15 when you go outdoors since fake tanners don't protect you against sunburn!
Other Resources:
Kids Health
Tanning
How Tanning Happens...
The sun's rays produce two types of high energy ultraviolet radiation, UVA and UVB. UVB radiation cannot penetrate your skin and causes surface level damage such as sunburns. UVA radiation is what makes people tan. UVA rays penetrate deep into your skin where they trigger melanocytes to produce a brown pigment which we see as tanning. This pigment is called melanin, and it is our body's way of protecting skin from burning. A person who tans easier than another means that their melanocytes able to produce more melanin when triggered by these UVA rays. However, just because a person doesn't burns easydoes not mean that they are less prone to skin cancer or other problems.
Indoor Tanning...
Both UVA and UVB rays contribute to skin aging. Both types also can cause potentially cancerous changes in your cells' DNA. And, according to a recent study, radiation from just 10 indoor-tanning sessions in 2 weeks can suppress a person's cancer-fighting immune system.
Although tanning beds use UVA light, the concentration of UVA rays from a tanning bed is greater than that from the sun. And despite manufacturer claims, some tanning lamps do also emit UVB light. So if you try indoor tanning, you'll absorb far more rays in the long run, significantly age your skin, and put yourself at even greater risk for skin cancer.
What Tanning Salons Don't Tell You...
A 2002 study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that users of tanning beds and lamps had substantially increased risks of basal and squamous cell carcinoma, the two most common types of skin cancer.
Minimizing Your Risk...
People who have tanned in the past already have skin damage — even if they can't see it yet — and need to be very cautious about additional UV exposure. Like everyone else, they should wear sunscreen or sun-protective clothing (or both) while outdoors, and a dermatologist should check their skin periodically for suspicious moles or other lesions.
But you don't have to go without that sun-bronzed look. The new generation of self-tanners and spray-on tans offer easy, realistic results at a reasonable price. Just be sure to use a daily sunblock with an SPF of at least 15 when you go outdoors since fake tanners don't protect you against sunburn!
Other Resources:
Kids Health
Tanning