Healthy glow or fast track to cancer?: Investigating the safety of tanning
As soon as the calendars are flipped to March, Spring Break suddenly seems to become the focus of nearly every college student. After midterms, nothing sounds better than a whole week to unwind, and where better to do that than a warm-weather destination? Walks on the beach, pina coladas (virgin, obviously), swimming and laying out in the sun are just a few of the draws for out-of-state travel. Coming back from a vacation with a glowing tan is a desirable goal for many. In fact, an American Academy of Dermatology survey found that 80 percent of those under 25 said they prefer looking tan. Unfortunately, obtaining this look may be more harmful than some realize.
The National Institute of Health states that sunlight travels to Earth in a combination of both visible and invisible rays, or waves. Some waves, like ultraviolet (UV) light, can cause problems – with the most common wave types being UVA and UVB rays. Excessive exposure to UVB rays can cause sunburn, which happens when the skin cannot produce melanin quickly enough to prevent the rays from injuring the skin’s surface and blood vessels. This causes the infamous red color of inflammation and swelling within the skin. Every time a tan or burn occurs, DNA is being damaged. The more injury the DNA endures, the greater the risk of developing melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.
Over time, exposure to these UV rays can make the skin less elastic, leathery, wrinkled or overly thin. “The more sun exposure you have, the earlier your skin ages,” says Dr. Barnett S. Kramer, a cancer prevention expert. While tanning can temporarily achieve the look desired, it's worth considering the long-term aesthetic impacts and the more serious health implications. Spending long hours in either the sun or a session in the tanning bed should be taken seriously. Melanoma will kill an estimated 8,790 people in the U.S. this year, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.
Fortunately, several measures can be taken to protect skin health and prevent cancers. The most obvious being avoiding the sun and sticking to shaded regions. Sunscreen is also highly recommended by most medical authorities, like Harvard Health, but shouldn’t be solely relied upon when outside. If it is simply unbearable to imagine yourself without a tan, there are many self-tanning products worth looking into that are readily available and safe to use. Overall, fear of the sun shouldn’t stop you from enjoying your tropical vacation or favorite outdoor activities, but being mindful of sun exposure and UV protection could be incredibly beneficial in the long run.
By Nicole Hardt