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It's
Best to Fake it!
By:
Carmen Corea
Think that being tan makes you
healthy? Well, it's exactly the opposite and the issue of tanning
has raised a lot of eyebrows due to the results of extensive research.
Nowadays, tanning salons claim
that their services are safer than baking in the sun. They say that
their tanning beds or booths' lights are definitely safer than natural
sunlight. But what you didn't know was that those supposedly harmless
UV radiation bulbs are just as dangerous as outdoor sun exposure and
they contribute to the worst and most serious type of skin cancer
- malignant melanoma, which is most common among adolescents. Ouch!
"To be honest, I was very
naive when it came to considering tanning indoors. I mean I always
wanted that nice golden looking skin that glows, but after reading
many articles on safe tanning I was surprised to see how dreadful
it can actually be once you're older and your skin starts to deteriorate,"
said Vanessa Izqueirdo, 17, senior at G. Holmes Braddock.
According to a national survey,
practically a third of white teenage girls have used indoor tanning
booths at least three times. Dermatologist Dr. Shelley Sekula-Gibbs
says they are treating more fatal skin lesions in younger patients.
As the numbers of teens using indoor tanning booths rises, the risk
of skin cancer will escalate as well.
"Teenagers may think they
look good now, but the sad part is that by the time they reach 60,
their skin will look like a leather bag and they'll be paying a dermatologist
to try to reverse the damage," said Dr. Ted Daly, director of
pediatric dermatology at Nassau University Medical Center in New York.
The holidays are here and pasty
white skin isn't exactly the look you're going for. So what are your
options? Tanning lotions are better than before - no more orangey
fake looking tans. They're safer because they apply a temporary color
that fades because your skin gets rid of dead cells, just like what
happens when a natural tan fades.
Little
known facts about the dangers of tanning booths*:
-A tan is a skin's response to
an injury
-Every time you tan, you damage
your skin and accelerate the aging process
-Before the age of 18, skin cells
are especially vulnerable to damage from UV radiation
-Tanning beds/booths expose the
person to both UVA/UVB radiation, the same radiation found in outdoor
sun
exposure
*Info from the American Academy of Dermatology
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