Are solariums really as bad as they seem? Nothing can make us happier throughout the year than

Many people think that is it possible to achieve a “healthy tan,” but this thought has been proven wrong. Overexpose to UV-A and UV-B rays from the sun lead to premature aging of the skin, as well as the possible formation of skin cancer, know as melanoma. An appearance of a tan is actually a stage of burning and damage to the skin. Although a tan may be desirable to many, the fact remains that more people need to be educated on the dangers of the sun’s harmful rays, and the possible health complications of overexposure.

Thesis statement: Many people do not use sun protection on a daily basis and are unaware of the dangers that can be easily preventive by using sun protection.

tanning promises and creates a beautiful tan in only a few sessions. The result from this tan is dark and clear skin that makes a person feel and look better. No wonder this craze is so popular. Who wouldn’t want to look like they just came back from the Caribbean with beautiful skin? I mean having tan skin does make a person look better right? This question is obviously a personal opinion, but this new habit of tanning indoors has become a growing concern. There are many long term effects to indoor tanning that are harmful to a person. But most people do not understand this because the short-term effects are the most satisfying.

So this bring me back to the question, what side are you on? I’m personally against banning tanning beds, many think if beds are used the right way, they can be safer. If tanning beds are used correctly, then there is minimal damage done to the body of the person being tanned because you control the time you

Melanoma is the fifth most common cancer among men and the sixth most common cancer in women (Melanoma Statistics). According to the Melanoma Research Foundation, the chances of getting melanoma increases by 75% if one uses a tanning bed before the age of thirty. (Why is tanning dangerous?). In addition, every one in three cancers diagnosed are diagnosed as skin cancer, and nearly 75% of patients diagnosed have admitted to using a tanning bed at least once in their lives. Although in some states it may be legal to use tanning beds under the age of eighteen, tanning beds have been proven to cause melanoma and skin damage when used inappropriately.

“Those who tanned the most—for ten years or more had more than twice the risk of melanoma compared with people who never used tanning beds.”—Martin Weinstock of Brown University of Medicine. Tanning beds are very menacing machines. They give out ultra violet rays that lead to melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer. Tanning beds are causing many problems to millions of people.

The biggest concern with tanning unnaturally is the negative effects it has on the body. When tanning through a tanning bed the body is being exposed to several fluorescent lights that transmits ultraviolet radiation to produce a fake tan. According to THE EDITORS, “Last year a systematic review and meta-analysis of 88 studies concluded that the beds lead to over 10,000 new cases of melanoma—the deadliest form of skin cancer—every year in the U.S., Australia and Europe and as many as 450,000 cases of other skin cancers” (par. 4). The number of those cancer cases is

people always disregard the effects that tanning beds may have on his or her body. The

According to International Agency for Research on Cancer’s (2007) systematic review about sunbeds and melanoma cancer worldwide, “First exposure to sunbeds before 35 years of age significantly increased the risk of melanoma” (1116). Further research strengthens the link between tanning beds and melanoma. Lazovich et al. (2010) studied the diagnosed cases of melanoma in the state of Minnesota between 2004-2007. The age group they studied was 25-59, and asked the study participants about their tanning bed practices (1557). They found out that the odds ratio “for the likelihood of melanoma in relation to having ever tanned indoors was 1.74…Melanoma risk increased markedly with frequency of use” (Lazovich et al., 2010, 1564).

The difference between the sun and a tanning bed are the amount of UVA and UVB rays that are emitted, tanning beds, use fluorescent bulbs that emit predominantly UVA with a small amount of UVB. The Sun emits way more UVB than a tanning bed. The skin cancer foundation said “UVA exacerbates the cancer-causing effects of UVB, and is the main wavelength behind photo-aging…It penetrates more deeply and causes more genetic damage in the skin cells where most skin cancers arise.” On the website “YoExpert” they wrote an easy way to remember the difference between UVA and UVB and their side effects is UVA = Aging UVB= Burn. So if if one was worried about burning in the sun then a tanning bed is the way to go. Bad things are that a tanning bed will make

Tanning has become increasingly popular over years. The question is it beneficial or a bad business deal to start. The truth is tanning is convenient method utilized by many individuals to gain skin tone and color, builds self- esteem and promote relaxation. It can be beneficial in many aspects of our lives as well as an alternative to more harmful exposure but there are always risks at everything you do. Dermatologists today are against it for the simple fact that they believe it causes skin cancer. According to NCI (National Cancer Institute) exposure to UV radiation—whether from the sun or from artificial sources such as sunlamps utilized in tanning beds—increases of developing skin cancer. IRAC (International Agency for Research on

In addition, tanning industries claim that UVA radiation has no harmful effects on the skin. They say that only UVB radiation can harm the outermost layer of the skin. Since UVA rays penetrate deep into the skin, then they say that tanning beds cannot cause any type of premature aging, burn the skin, or thicken

Tanning salons turn their attention toward cancer prevention and turn their backs on causing skin cancer. Lavine wrote, "The JNCI review noted that indoor tanning can increase a fair-skinned individual's risk of developing melanoma by 55%. And it can take a mere 10 indoor-tanning sessions to cause precancerous DNA damage, reports a recent review study by a Kings College London researcher (Lavine)." Melanoma is not the only form of skin cancer. Tanning beds play a role in the formation of other skin cancers as

Every hour at least one American will die of skin cancer caused by exposure to the sun. These statistics are alarming and most people are unaware that the sunshine that we all love so much is in fact a threat to our health and good looks. It is up to us to educate ourselves and our children on the harmful effects of sun exposure on the human body like premature aging, physical damage to the body, and cancerous diseases.

It has been proven that the Earth’s atmosphere blocks 98.7 percent of the sun’s UV rays. The other 2.3 percent that we are exposed to, have both beneficial and harmful effects. We do need to focus on the benefits, because we have way more of them. The only harm it does to our body is skin cancer, which by being more careful we can protect from. The