“Unlike the sun, indoor tanning will not cause skin cancer or skin aging” (Federal Trade Commission 1). This is a claim that the Federal Trade Commission says to look out for; many tanning bed ads claim that these indoor beds cause no harm. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 53,792 people in the United States were diagnosed with melanomas of the skin, the third most common type of skin cancer, but also the most dangerous. According to an article in Time, Julie Rawe states that up to 60,000 deaths worldwide are caused each year by excessive Ultra Violet (UV) exposure (1). Excessive indoor tanning has become a trend among many youth adults of both sexes. Although tanning beds are harmful, we do need sunlight in order to acquire vitamin D and there are other alternatives to getting a tan look. I plan to use multiple articles on the dangers of tanning beds and why teens keep returning, two book sources, articles about vitamin D and the need for UV rays, and a commercial of a tanning bed ad in order to bring this health issue to the public’s attention. The use of tanning beds have become a public health concern among dermatologists and many teens because salons fail to post their dangers, not many safe alternatives are available, and our society appears to support over excessive tanning, therefore, young adults think it’s safe and healthy; however, the use of tanning beds increases your risks of skin cancer.
These young women look beautiful and seem to be having fun, but do they know that their over excessive tanning could cause skin cancer in the future?
One way for this public health issue to be noticed is through statistics of skin cancer in our country. As shown through a graph in Skin Cancer: Recognition and Management, there are three common skin cancers, Non-melanoma, which affects basal and squamous cells, and then there is Melanoma of the skin. Melanoma of the skin had over 25,000 incidents and over 5,000 deaths in the United States in 1987. Non-melanoma cancers amounted to 900,000 incidents and over 2,000 deaths combined in 1987 (Schwartz 391). The CDC stated that of the 53,792 diagnosed with melanoma in the United States in 2005, 8,345 people in the United States died of melanomas of the skin. That’s a lot of deaths and incidents that could have been prevented. According to ”Dermatology Nursing”:
Almost 30 million Americans visit indoor tanning salons each year, and on an average day, more than 1 million Americans visit tanning salons. Of these, 70% are Caucasian girls and women between the ages of 16 and 49. (Gorgos 1)
To think that almost three quarters of people visiting tanning beds are women, and young women at that. Adi Narayan states in “Cancer and Teen Tanning: Where’s the Regulation?”, “The risk of cutaneous melanoma is increases by 75% when use of tanning devices starts before 30 years of age,” (1). If teens knew these statistics, would they still continue to tan?
Here are a few examples of what Melanoma of the skin looks like. Melanoma doesn't necessarily look the same on everyone.
Why does indoor tanning continue to grown in popularity? "The tanning industry makes its profits off selling a carcinogen to teenagers and young adults. In that sense, it is similar to the cigarette industry", as stated by Dr. Martin Weinstock (Narayan 1). This is a very good analogy, tanning salons don’t care who comes to tan, as long as people come. As stated in “Why Teens Are Obsessed With Tanning”, it is estimated that 2.3 million girls visit tanning beds regularly. Tanning has become an addiction for some; in the middle of winter girls want a sun kissed glow on their skin. “The real challenge is combating the adolescent culture that currently encourages compulsive tanning” (Rawe 1, 2). In a Seattle Sun Tanning Salon commercial featured on YouTube, the actors all appeared bronzed, fit and beautiful. The commercial is well put together and intriguing but they fail to mention any dangers to indoor tanning. It’s no wonder why teens are drawn to tanning, all the people they see in commercials, on TV and in movies are bronzed and beautiful looking.
As you notice throughout this commercial, Seattle Sun is really trying to appeal to it's audience. There is not one person in this video who isn't young, beautiful, or tan.
Most tanning salons fail to post the dangers of tanning beds. Most teens and young adults don’t have any idea how unhealthy the UV rays emitted by tanning beds can be for them. The worst consequence of indoor tanning or any tanning for that matter is signs of cancer. “The incidence of melanoma, the most lethal form of skin cancer, has doubled in the U.S. since 1975 among women ages 15 to 29” (Rawe 1). Primary skin cancer is the most common cancer among mankind and it is on the rise although it is often avoidable (Schwartz vii). Why is skin cancer on the rise when there are so many ways to prevent it? One prevention method would be cutting out unnecessary UV exposure, like tanning beds. You need to wear protective eye wear when outdoors, consider your skin type and family history and always wear sunscreen. Not only does overexposure cause skin cancer, it can cause eye injury, premature wrinkling of the skin, and light-induced skin rashes (Federal Trade Commission 2, 3). Young girls have this idea that tanning makes them look good, but in reality, how is it going to make them look 30 years from now?
Because tanning beds are very harmful to your skin, what are some other methods for getting a tan skinned look? Throughout this paper, I only criticized indoor tanning, however there are other methods for getting a tan look. On NPR a show called The Unger Report reported on tanning with a segment titled “Spray-On Tanning”. It suggests that people are looking for an alternative way to tan other than the traditional way of lying in a bed that uses UV lights. Brian Unger is asked on his radio show if spray tanning solution is like a spray on paint; he answers that in all honesty that is what it is like. “Leading the way in this new venture is Mystic Tan; it’s a brand of spray on tanning. It’s the official tan of the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders.” People seem to be using this technique as well as other techniques. These people are considered “tan-anorexics”. The show actually talks about a guy trying this method in California. His tan didn’t show up until six hours later, which is expected. They also mention that he came out and looked violated, most likely because some salons will go in and spray you down with hardly any clothing on and they make you stand in awkward conditions. Other issues that arose were that some body parts were noticeable more tan than others. Is this really any better of an alternative for our society?
This is how a spray tan is done: you are in a room with little clothes on and you allow someone to spray your entire body, even some pretty awkward areas. Even with all this, sometime you get an uneven spray and this only lasts about a week.
Spray tanning seems like a good option for getting tan skin without the harm of UV rays, however, they can be misleading in their advertising. Another source, “True Colors: Grading Spray-Tan Salons”, Gwendolyn Bounds declares a reason for the use of spray-on tanning, “With heavy rainfall blanketing much of the country this month, Old Sol hasn't exactly been cooperating on the suntan front. So we decided to give Mother Nature a little help --via a spray tan.” A group of people were sent out to grade and evaluate spray-on tanning salons. This group speaks some truth when saying that spray-on tanning has come a long way because in the past people complained that it caused skin to look orange and splotchy. Spray tanning makes up about 20% of the tanning bed industry's tanning business, while UV-tanning makes up the rest of the remaining 80%. Although this method seems like the safest route, none of the spray-on tanning salons distributed protective gear for customer’s eyes, nose and lips; a few of the salons said they did have goggles after they were asked. However, one tanning salon said they had goggles when asked, but also stated that one did not need them. We learn through reading this article that the main ingredient in most spray tanning solutions is a color additive called dihydroxyacetone, or DHA. This color additive is approved for topical cosmetic use; however it has not been approved by the FDA for the eyes or mucus membranes, such as the nose or the lips or for use over the entire body. “The FDA says DHA use in tanning salons ‘may be quite safe,’ the agency recommends that consumers request measures to protect eyes, lips and mucous membranes and to prevent inhalation of DHA.” Another issue with spray tanning is that the bronzer in the solutions can cause staining in clothing; however, it does come out upon washing. A trend that appeared in the workers at these spray tanning salons was that most were fair skinned. Although this method of tanning seems great in all, the cost needs to be looked at. The price ranges from $20-$70 per session, and most spray tanning lasts about a week (D1). Is spray tanning really worth paying between $1,040 and $3,640 per year?
Although tanning beds have harmful effects, is natural light that much better for your skin? Celeste Robb-Nicholson explains in “By the Way, Doctor” that being exposed to sunlight or artificial light is harmful and can cause skin cancer. However the article reveals:
Tanning beds use fluorescent bulbs that emit mostly UVA, with smaller doses of UVB. UVA radiation is up to three times more intense than the UVA in natural sunlight, and even the UVB intensity may approach that of bright sunlight. (1)
The commonly spread word is that sunlight is not good for us and will only cause cancer. We are encouraged to slap on sunscreens to protect ourselves. Well, it is important to know that there are contrary views. One clearly needs to exercise caution with the sun and avoid ever getting sunburned, but this is relatively easy to do. (1)
Once again, it comes down to healthy doses of sunlight exposure. However, Dusek criticizes sunscreens, which we consider to be our main ways to prevent overexpose to UV rays. Most of the ingredients are said to be mainly safe and effective and there has been no extensive research of proving there is any toxins in sunscreens. The article suggests limiting your sun exposure to 10 minutes per day and to stay out of the sun between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., the most dangerous times. However, the article does testify that tanning beds are harmful and cause skin cancer (1).
This woman has obviously spent too much time in the sun. I can't immagine anyone would want to look like this, but with too much tanning, it could happen to you.
Are there any benefits to natural tanning or indoor tanning? Jorg Reichrath declares in Sunlight, Vitamin D and Skin Cancer that “UV-exposure represents the most important risk factor for the development of non-melanoma skin cancer.” Vitamin D is something we get from contact with sunlight; we get 90% of what we need from skin exposure. A deficiency in vitamin D is linked with developing prostate, colon and breast cancers (vii). Because of these two above statements, there is a huge debate occurring between dermatologist and other clinicians. The main idea is to do moderation, especially when the Solar UV index is above 3. When it is above 3, people need to protect themselves (134). The UV index is a measure of the UV radiation level at the Earth's surface, at certain areas close to the equator; it can reach 20 while in Northern latitudes it doesn’t exceed much past 8. Basically, this index indicates when we need to protect ourselves most, which is when the number is higher. Although this article states that vitamin D is available through sunlight, all the vitamin D you need for your health can be taken in a daily pill form (Robb-Nicholson 1).
What are some things that we as a culture can do to help with this medical skin predicament? The CDC wants to set up a consensus-based set of foundation items to measure indoor and sunless tanning use. They also have been doing a lot of research along with setting up various school guidelines for skin protection. The American Academy of Dermatology, or ADA, believes that no minor should be allowed to use tanning beds; a Surgeon General’s warning should also be placed on all indoor tanning devices and facilities should not be allowed to say that the tanning bed device is “safe” (Gorgos 1). According to “Tanning Salons Lax On Some Rules For Teens”, twenty-one states have laws that limit indoor tanning for minors. Also the World Health Organization recommends that there should be a ban on tanning for girls under eighteen. Furthermore, there is a project going on currently discouraging teen use of tanning beds, the project is called CITY: 100. It stands for Controlling Indoor Tanning in Youth. CITY: 100 is trying to dampen girls from indoor tanning, what better way than people in the community and celebrities speaking out against indoor tanning; otherwise the consequences could be severe for the current teen population (1).
Like Paris Hilton is shown here, most Hollywood stars appear to be tan all year long. Would teens maybe listen if stars like this looked more fair skinned and stood out against indoor tanning? Maybe CITY 100 could make something like this happen.
I myself have had personal experiences with tanning beds. I did not start using tanning beds until I was in high school. Prom came junior year and I decided that since my friends were tanning that I wanted to too. My mom didn’t care that I went a few times before, but it was our secret; my dad is a doctor and if he found out he would be furious. I knew that it was probably bad but I went anyways. I did the same thing the following year, I went tanning ten times or so before prom. I just felt better about myself when I was tan. I started college in the fall with no tanning but then spring came around so quickly that I wanted to get tan faster because I didn’t have time to lay out in the sun. I bought a local tanning package where I could tan as much as I wanted for a month, I went three times or so a week. I started to really think about what I was doing; I want to be a doctor some day, what kind of example was I setting by going to tan when I knew how bad it was for my skin? Since I started back to school I haven’t been in a tanning bed. I am trying to convince my roommates now not to tan as well. I always did feel better when I was tan but now I know I am beautiful inside and out whether I am tan or not.
As one can see, the use of tanning beds have become a public health concern among dermatologists and many teens mainly because salons fail to post their dangers, not many healthy alternatives are available, and our society appears to support over excessive tanning, therefore, young adults think it’s safe and healthy; hopefully they can realize that the use of tanning beds increases your risks of skin cancer. Now that we know all the facts and concerns, what are you going to do about it? Skin cancer and indoor tanning is on the rise in our communities, especially among young adults. This issue needs greater attention. We put out ads and talk about drinking and smoking being bad things to start, so why shouldn’t indoor tanning be included in our society’s concerns? You never seen a billboard ad saying that indoor tanning is harmful, yet skin cancer is one of the most deadly cancers. We need to bring this medical issue to the public’s attention and maybe come up with other safe alternatives for getting tan looking skin. Do we really want our sons and daughters worrying about skin cancer 10 or 20 years down the line? You can save lives by standing out against indoor tanning.
This is one small thing we can do, incourage others to get a skin test. It is a funny commercial but also an important statement. Like it states, "A skin cancer screening is only mortifying if you don't get one in time." Stop skin cancer before it happens
