According to a Swedish study, the younger people are when they start going to tanning beds, the greater their risk becomes of getting Melanoma, a deadly skin cancer.
“I only go to the tanning bed before prom because it is too hard to get tan for prom by lying out in the sun all day,” said Caroline Bell.
Using a tanning bed more than 10 times a year made people seven times more likely to develop malignant melanoma than those who did not use tanning beds as often.
The FDA estimates that about 38,000 people will be diagnosed with melanoma this year in the United States and 7,300 people will die from this condition.
Therefore, there is no such thing as a safe tan. Sunlight contains different wavelengths of UV (ultraviolet) light. UVA rays absorb deeper into your skin and cause tanning. Tans are dangerous whether you get it on the beach, in a bed, or through incidental exposure.
Tanning beds and the sun both damage skin cells. UV radiation can lead to wrinkles, brown spots, premature aging, lax skin, and skin cancer. On the bright side, sun block protects against UVB rays. UVA rays have longer wavelengths than UVB rays, so UVA rays can absorb deeper in your skin.
According to the NCI, National Cancer Institute, people at greatest risk for melanoma are those with fair skin; blonde, red or light hair; and blue, green, or gray eyes. Artificial and natural sunlight exposure is also most likely to affect those who easily burn, have already been treated for skin cancer, or have skin cancer in their family history.
“I have only gone to the tanning bed a few times, and the more I went, the more freckles I would get, I eventually stopped going because I was afraid that I would get melanoma,” said Allison Burrell.
On the other hand, there are benefits from tanning. Getting more sun or tanning in a tanning bed will help people get more Vitamin D in their body. Just a few times a week should be enough. The best vitamin D doesn’t come from a pill you can take, it is best to get some sun by being out in the sun on a regular basis.
Next, studies show that athletes perform better when they are able to get regular amounts of sunlight or UV rays. Anyone may be able to run faster or play harder when finding regular time to tan or get some sun outside.
Vitamin D from the sun helps muscles, bones and nerves. Tanning can also help soothing aches and pains, cure SAD or help with skin problems such as acne, Eczema, or Psoriasis. Sunlight is an important part of human’s life. Sunlight helps people grow strong and relieves pain from Rheumatism or Arthritis.
Tanning bed sessions are regulated at a tanning salon. A professional can help choose the right amount of time needed to tan so that people can tan safely, without burning or the risk or cancer, but that isn’t always efficient.
Tanning beds aren’t much safer than tanning outdoors. It is estimated that 90% of visible age spots and wrinkles are caused by the exposure of ultraviolet (UV) rays.
Protection against UV ray exposure is simple, sunscreen with a sun protection factor of 15 or higher. Clothes that are dark in color and woven from heavy fabric provide the best sun protection as well.