Teenagers feel as if they need to tan to look good or to feel like they fit in. A review of seven studies revealed that your risk of melanoma increases by 75 percent if you're exposed to tanning beds before the age of 35 (“The Dangers of). Not all individuals realize the increased risk of getting melanoma by lying in the tanning bed. Tanning can be harsh to your skin. The light coming from the sun contains different wavelengths of ultra violet (UV) waves.
Throughout the history of tanning, it has evolved a lot. In today’s world tanning beds have become very popular and common with teens and even older people. According to “aspentan.com”, the first form of tanning was a lamp invented in Germany during the 1900’s ("Tanning Truth”). The main purpose for tanning lamps were to help people who did not get enough vitamin D in their body. Throughout the years, tanning was taken to a whole new level.
Indoor tanning has certainly hit its record high this past decade among teens and young adults. Of course this would be great for tanning salons if it weren’t for the negative side effects that came along with the obsession of indoor tanning. Due to the substantial rise of tanning the Center of Disease Control has actually estimated 19,000 cases of skin cancer per year (CDC, 2014). Types of skin cancer include melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and ocular melanoma. The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System statistically breaks downs showing that those who tan are “13% of all high school girls, 21% of high school girls, 32% of 12th graders, and 29% of white high school girls” (CDC, 2014).
Approximately 20 million Americans patronize tanning salons on a regular basis, bringing in about five million dollars annually for these salons (Robb-Nicholson). If tanning salons are so popular, then they must not be so bad, right? Unfortunately, skin cancer is the most diagnosed type of cancer in the U.S., meaning that artificial and natural sunlight are both contributing to this growing problem (Vanhoy). While efforts to seek a healthy sun exposure may be far fetched, the debate between the danger of artificial UV light compared to natural sunlight can be broken down to find the true underlying cause of the ongoing skin cancer epidemic. Are tanning beds a safer alternative to natural sunlight exposure, or do they pose even greater risks for health problems?
Tanning salons all over the world are booming with business. Lavine reported that "Almost 30 million people visit a tanning salon in one year. Of the one million people who visit these salons each day, 70% of them are women and 53% are between the ages of 20 and 39 (Lavine)." Lavine also stated that "The two fastest-growing categories of indoor-tanning bed use... ... middle of paper ... ...deral agencies seem concerned only in principle with the tanning industry's false claims and have no plans to step up regulation. "Our role is to prevent burns to the skin and eyes," says Howard Cyr, MD, PhD, chief of radiation biology at the FDA.
Indoor tanning increased my risk for skin cancer greatly. According to Liz Szabo, USA Today reporter “People who use a tanning bed before age 35 increase their risk of melanoma by 75%”(1). I was unaware of this increase until after reading that eye-opening article. Teens are more likely to use tanning beds because they are unaware ... ... middle of paper ... ...ce, indoor tanning can be beneficial for individuals who have large scars; tanning of the skin can help to make scars less noticeable. It can also help dry up oils produced on skin helping clear up acne and other various skin conditions.
Approximately just one time in a tanning bed increases your risk for skin cancer by 67% and increases early basal carcinoma by 69% (Polsky, 2013 pg. 5). Cost to treat skin cancer can range from 250 million to 2.64 billion dollars every year (Polsky, 2013 pg. 5). The new trend in teens is that they want to look darker and more appealing to the eye, they believe the darker they look the “sexier” they are (Lostritto et al, 2012).
The use of indoor tanning devices has been growing rapidly since the 1970’s. Over the years, there has also been a dangerous increase in skin cancer. There is currently an estimated twenty-eight million users of tanning beds. Do these users truly understand the side effects indoor tanning has on our health? Dermatologists, The International Agency for Research on Cancer, the American Cancer Society, and many other organizations have done numerous studies to show the public the evidence.
Nearly 30 million people tan indoors in the United States every year. Of those 30 million, more than one million people are diagnosed with skin cancer according to the Skin Cancer Foundation. Despite that fact hundreds of thousands of people still visit tanning salons today. Skin tone nor age matter when it comes to the chances of getting skin cancer. Of the many causes of skin cancer existing, ultra violet radiation from tanning salons is by far at the top of the list.
Tanning was one of my favorite summertime activities growing up in the Midwest; it was a great thaw after a long, cold winter. During that time, baby oil was the choice of tanners whose goal it was to achieve the deep, rich golden colors of summer. Sadly, skin damage was caused summer after summer as the integumentary system was barraged with UV rays, knocking its system out of homeostasis. Burns can range from first to third-degree with identifiable marking to each. Avid sun bathers have probably all experienced anything from a slight reddening to blistered skin.