The UV index is 8, and you have been sitting in the sun and swimming for the last five hours to get a good tan. You start to feel your skin burn and realize that you forgot to put sunscreen on. You go inside and realize you look like a lobster. A few days later, when you are still in so much pain and your skin is peeling, you regret going outside that day.
Tanning is a hobby that many teens and parents partake in. The higher the UV is, and the longer someone is outside, the quicker it is for them to get tan or burn.
“Whenever I see that the UV index is high, I put my tanning oil on and go outside. I always forget to put sunscreen on, and I face the consequences. I turn red in only 30 minutes of being outside,” senior Abby Tremble said.
Tanning has some serious negative effects on the body, including skin cancer. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, exposing the skin cells to UV radiation damages a person’s DNA, which interferes with the cells’ ability to function correctly and can lead to skin cancer.
Another effect of tanning is wrinkles. UV radiation damages collagen and elastin proteins in the skin, which keep the skin smooth and firm. They break down from the UV, leading skin to start sagging and even prematurely age. Skin may look fine after tanning, but it can lead to serious wrinkles and dark spots in a few years.
“Any amount of tanning can damage your skin. UV rays can lead to inflammation and dehydration. This can lead to worse problems like photoaging, hyperpigmentation, precancerous growths, and skin cancer,” Esthetician Shanna Monfort said.
When they cannot get a tan from the sun, many people go to tanning beds. These tanning beds are strongly linked to both skin cancer and Melanoma.
According to Science Advances, “Scientists conclude that tanning bed radiation induces melanoma by increasing the mutation burden of melanocytes and by mutagenizing a broader field of melanocytes than are typically exposed to natural sunlight”. This just causes more damage to the skin and is even worse overall than tanning outside.
A safer alternative is a self-tanning lotion that is safe and non-toxic. “I have been using self-tan for the last 2 years, and I have had no issues with my skin. It is also nice that I do not have to sit outside all day to get a tan,” Senior Layne Barringer said.
People who still choose to tan the old-fashioned way must keep in mind how easily they burn and figure out how long they should stay outside to avoid burning. Any form of tanning, besides self-tanning, is damaging to the skin.
