Badger students, the long perilous winter will be nearing its end very soon. In a matter of months the time to wear shorts, t-shirts, bikinis, French g-strings and other various spring and summer apparel will arrive. But wait – over the cold winter, you bundled every appendage of your body up in order to retain both your warmth and sanity. But this resulted in a horrible skin situation; you lost that glorious tan you worked so hard to obtain last summer. Some must inevitably be thinking, “I must get to the tanning bed at once to reclaim my beautiful dark glow.”
The first wave of tanning has already commenced with spring break only a week away and many students planning on heading to warmer climates. You would not dare be caught at the beach without a tan, right? Well, it might not be worth the tan if you’re paying by exposing your body to ultraviolet rays. Turns out, UV rays are harmful.
Just as we know the harmful possibilities of smoking and the dangers of driving while intoxicated, we also know that tanning and exposure to UV rays does not rank up there as a particularly healthy and safe idea. As a matter of fact, the skin responds to ultraviolet ray exposure with tans and sunburns. This exposure to UV rays can result in skin cancer later on in life. And not just any skin cancer, but melanoma, the deadliest of all skin cancers and the second most common form of cancer among people between the ages of 15 and 29. The damaged skin DNA allows the development of mutations which permit cancer cells to multiply rapidly forming malignant tumors. Furthermore, those who repeatedly tan while under the age of 35 increase their risk of melanoma by 75 percent, and that is exactly the demographic we are all in.
“But tanning via a tanning bed is much safer than tanning via the sun.” Not so. “But wait, if I get a tan from a tanning bed, it will prevent me from getting a sunburn later.” Nope. Tanning booths are not nearly as safe as the sun. According to the Melanoma Institute of New England, “tanning booths are far more risky than sun exposure. They emit up to 15 times more UV radiation than the sun.”
The amount of UV rays given off by a tanning bed exceeds those from the sun. Remember, a tan – the body’s response to UV ray exposure and skin damage – changes the pigment in order to respond. It does not matter from which source your skin received UV damage.
“Well, at least I am getting some good old Vitamin D from tanning.” Yes, but not enough to warrant risking your life. While sunshine does provide Vitamin D, foods such as milk, orange juice, fish and supplements are the safest way to get Vitamin D.
I do not intend to destroy your vision of a beautiful, warm, beach vacation. I do not believe anyone should shelter inside or dress as a Victorian. I run and I enjoy the sunshine, the summer games and the beach as much as anyone else. I know, no matter what I write in this article, or what others tell you, most of us will venture out in the sun without hesitation. All I ask is that you use common sense … and sunscreen. “Oh, no,” you protest, “I’ll never tan.” Sure you will; not today, not tomorrow, but you will eventually because even a high SPF cannot keep all of those lovely UV tanning rays from penetrating your skin. You may not get that lovely glow that our society deems attractive, but I feel avoiding melanoma and damage to the skin’s DNA takes precedence over golden skin-toned bodies.
Nolan Beilstein (beilstein
[Photo by Flickr user Alexis O’Toole]
