Listening to my 17 year old cousin talk this weekend, I realized that, even thought it was not that long ago for me, I had forgotten some of the concerns teenagers have. She talked about how my prettier her friend was that her, because of her "beautiful, golden brown" skin. She made the comment, "I have to get in the tanning bed." I don't think she or teenagers realize the health risk related to tanning. I as her, and she did not. She ask me was the tanning bed safer than natural sunlight.
The answer is no. There is no safe tan. Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation — whether from sunlight or tanning beds — damages your skin, increasing your risk of skin cancer and premature skin aging. In fact, malignant melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer, has seen a sharp rise in recent years, perhaps due to the increased exposure to UV radiation from both the sun and tanning beds.
You can prevent skin damage by limiting your exposure to UV radiation and by using a broad-spectrum sunscreen. If you want the golden glow of a tan without exposure to damaging UV radiation, consider using sunless tanning products or bronzers. Keep in mind, however, many of these products do not contain sunscreen and won't protect you from UV radiation.
Listening to my 17 year old cousin talk this weekend, I realized that, even thought it was not that long ago for me, I had forgotten some of the concerns teenagers have. She talked about how my prettier her friend was that her, because of her "beautiful, golden brown" skin. She made the comment, "I have to get in the tanning bed." I don't think she or teenagers realize the health risk related to tanning. I as her, and she did not. She ask me was the tanning bed safer than natural sunlight.
The answer is no. There is no safe tan. Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation — whether from sunlight or tanning beds — damages your skin, increasing your risk of skin cancer and premature skin aging. In fact, malignant melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer, has seen a sharp rise in recent years, perhaps due to the increased exposure to UV radiation from both the sun and tanning beds.
You can prevent skin damage by limiting your exposure to UV radiation and by using a broad-spectrum sunscreen. If you want the golden glow of a tan without exposure to damaging UV radiation, consider using sunless tanning products or bronzers. Keep in mind, however, many of these products do not contain sunscreen and won't protect you from UV radiation.