So here we go! Another cool thing that we discover and we have the adults all over us telling us that it is not good! Tanning gives such a good look. Pale skin seems to get vitalized with color and life. No wonder that tanning salons have popped up everywhere – they are cool more and more people are recognizing it. That however, does not seem to be the complete story. And the other part of the story is so shocking, that a tanning salon immediately get demoted from a cool place to a cold-hearted place. All the advertising and ‘we are safe’ propaganda that the tanning salons do are at best, half-truths only. Here are some shocking truths:
Busting the myths
There is heavy advertising and marketing about how Vitamin-D is absolutely essential for the body and sunlight is the best source of this vitamin. This is only the half truth. What the advertising does not say is that if you get 15 minutes of sunlight thrice a week, it is more than sufficient for your Vitamin-D needs. And you can get that directly from the sun; there is no need of a salon. Another favorite line is that moderate tanning does not kill anyone. Well, poison is poison whether it is taken as a drop or a swig! One single sunburn can cause life-damaging effects.
Another misleading myth is that a tanning bed is safer than sun exposure for it does not cause burns. Again, this is a half truth. While it is true that a tanning bed does not cause sunburns as the sun does, the reason for this is because it emits Mostly UV (ultra violet) rays. The infrared radiation from the sun that causes heating is absent in tanning beds. The UV rays however, penetrate beyond the skin and cook you from within. You will not even realize it as you get cooked.
The associated dangers:
Did you know that UV rays have been classified alongside tobacco and plutonium (material used in bombs) in its cancer causing abilities? The UV rays from tanning salons are up to 20 times greater in intensity compared to what we receive from the sun because they also contain a high proportion of UV A rays. The tanners face a very high risk of skin cancer or melanoma. For your information, melanoma is the deadliest form among known cancers. And this is so because of the following reasons.
1. Skin cancer is not easy to detect.
2. Even if detected in time, skin cancer is not easily curable. The skin happens to be the largest organ of our body and it gets difficult to treat it.
3. Even if one were to begin treatment, there is no guarantee of a complete recovery.
Also, due to tanning exposure, the body begins to age prematurely. In their teens itself, boys and girls begin to face problems of wrinkling and skin-folding which people who are decades elder to them face. Though these problems can be potentially devastating, the greatest problem of about tanning beds is that they get addictive! Research has indicated that every 4 out of 5 tanning bed users were just not able to let go of the tanning habit. Thus, it becomes a sure shot invitation for death.
Tanning in the news
Tanning salons have had such a negative impact that the state of California has passed legislation against minors stepping into such salons. The elder teens can do so ‘with parental consent’ because the state hopes that by then, the parents would have made their teens see light (not of the UV variety!). Just imagine the extent of the dangers involved if legislation has to be passed against it.
Some sane advice
It is not simply that governmental agencies, schools, universities and parents have all come together to oppose tanning salons. There is definitely experience and wisdom in that move. They have experienced so much in life and so when parents tell us that teen bodies are not invincible, it must be the truth.
Tanning seems cool but it does some un-cool and ugly things to the body. Scars and ugly moles pop up on the body. Skin cancer is a devastating killer and it kills even before one actually dies because of all the associated problems it brings along.
If you really want a tan, why not choose safer alternatives like doing it naturally in the sun? You could also make use of tan-sprays or tanning lotions. You can achieve the same look with a good health and cancer-free life.
