While some are desperately trying to escape the summer heat, many students are still hard at work, tanning their way towards the season’s most popular look. But this comes with a cost, as there is no such thing as a healthy tan. For most, this should come as no surprise.
Exposure to ultraviolet rays is harmful to humans, regardless of its source. This doesn’t mean there aren’t any benefits from sun exposure. UVB rays help the body synthesize vitamin D, but this is something that can easily be achieved through a balanced diet, as well as supplements.
Megan Knapp, SMU’s health educator, said in order to limit sun exposure students should “stay out of the sun, especially during peak hours – in the afternoon when the sun’s rays are more powerful.”
She also said wearing clothing, a hat, sunglasses and a high SPF sunscreen are other ways to decrease sun exposure. Many people, however, skip the natural approach and go straight for the artificial tan achieved in tanning beds.
According to Knapp, baking under the UV lamps of tanning beds can be more dangerous than extended sun exposure. She said research shows that tanning beds can cause cancer, and “it’s just not good for your skin.”
The International Agency for Research on Cancer recently changed its stance on tanning beds, from “probably carcinogenic to humans,” to simply, “carcinogenic to humans,” its highest level of warning.
Concentrated UV exposure, where the UV radiation is only six inches away, should have always seemed risky. A report, released by the IRAC this past July, confirms it is, and that regular tanning before the age of 30, increases ones chances for developing melanoma by 75 percent. The report also states many of the tanning salons they surveyed were using UV levels only intended for medical use.
Many people use tanning beds as a way of achieving a base tan, so that they don’t burn as easily once they are outside. While it may be true that a darker skin tone can keep one from burning or peeling as easily, this darker than natural skin tone is only slowing these natural warning signs that would normally help one regulate their sun exposure.
