Marissa Lynn D’Angelo – Special to the Southern News
Tanning beds seem to be popular these days to keep skin dark and flawless looking. However, just because you are not exposed to the sun in tanning beds does not mean that it isn’t dangerous to your skin. Tanning beds give off UVA radiation, which works its way deep within the skin. Therefore, it is unlikely to see a visible burn although still very dangerous. According to a study at Vanderbilt University, tanning beds give off “three times the UVA radiation given off by the sun.”
Many sources will tell you that tanning beds will still lead to skin cancer. So, why not go to the beach with your friends and be social? What is the point of laying alone in a coffin like bed with a bright light on you? Not only can cancer occur, but melanoma can be a symptom of using tanning beds as well. The study also found that “people who used tanning beds more than a year were seven times more likely to develop malignant melanoma than those who did not use tanning beds as often.”
In my opinion, the best way to get that nice, natural tan that can still be healthy is to go out in the sun for limited amounts of time.
The sun will actually give Vitamin D to your skin and help it rejuvenate. Everything in moderation, though. Like the nursery rhyme of Goldilocks, not too much and not too little. Of course this method involves patience towards getting the skin color you want, but it will be the best thing for your skin in the end. If you are as pale as a ghost and want to get that tan so you don’t stick out like a sore thumb when you go to the beach, my advice is to use Jergens moisturizing tanning lotion. This lotion proves to do the job right. Besides the physical risks, using tanning beds can be very costly. Not only do you have to pay to use the tanning bed, but you also have to buy the special tanning lotions that the tanning place recommends so that your tan will stay. These tanning lotions are not always FDA approved and can therefore increase your chance of being physically harmed even more.
Also, how do you know that the tanning bed you are using has been cleaned properly before it was your turn to use it? People go into the bed half-naked or even fully undressed sometimes. There is nothing protecting you from possibly catching something that the person who went into the bed before you has. In my opinion, the most popular reason why people use tanning beds is because they see all of the celebrities and airbrushed models looking flawless and honestly, unnatural. The pictures you see on magazines are NOT the real deal. However, many people believe they are, and want to live up to these high expectations of looking perfect. This is why people feel the need to use tanning beds. The best way to go is to tan in moderation with the natural sun. Therefore, you can get that vitamin D in your skin so that you don’t have to chance the horrible risks of overdoing it or using a tanning bed.
