Tanning
Darkening your natural skin tone through tanning damages your skin and puts you at risk for developing skin cancer.
Tanning will give you premature wrinkles.
UV radiation, whether from the sun or a tanning bed, changes the structure of your skin, making you look older faster. The damage lasts long after the tan fades. Over time, damage builds up and causes skin to age and wrinkle. You cannot reverse the damage once it is done. These changes can be seen in people starting in their teens and early twenties:
- frown lines
- wrinkles around eyes
- wrinkles around mouth
- spider veins
- age spots
- thin lips
Using tanning beds increases your risk of all major types of skin cancer.
International cancer experts have moved tanning beds into the top cancer risk category. Guess what else is in that category? Cigarettes, asbestos, and arsenic.
Skin cancer is no longer just happening to older people.
Melanoma - the deadliest type of skin cancer - is one of the most common cancers in people who are 15 to 29 years old. Young skin is more vulnerable to UV damage, so the earlier someone starts using tanning beds, the higher their risk of skin cancer later in life.
If you've ever used tanning beds, you increase your risk of:
- squamous cell carcinoma by 61%.
- basal cell carcinoma by 29%.
- melanoma by 20%.
If you start using tanning beds before you are 35, you increase your risk of:
- melanoma by 59%
There are no benefits to using tanning beds.
A tan is a sign of skin damage.
- A tan is not a sign of health and beauty. A tan is your skin's response to DNA damage from UV radiation.
A base tan doesn't protect against burning or sun damage.
- A base tan offers almost no protection from the sun or burning. It's the same as wearing sunscreen with an SPF of 2 to 4, which isn't enough. KFL&A Public Health recommends an SPF of at least 30. Not only that, but you've already damaged your skin with a base tan.
Tanning beds are not a safe way to get your vitamin D.
- The use of tanning beds increases your risk of skin cancer and can be more dangerous than the sun. Some tanning beds give off 10 to 15 times more UVA radiation than the midday sun. To increase your vitamin D intake, choose foods that contain vitamin D or take a multivitamin.
There are safe ways to fake a tan.
Self-tanners such as lotions and creams, and tinted makeup such as bronzers are safe ways to fake a tan without the UV radiation. Don't forget that you'll still need to use sun protection. Some makeup products have an SPF rating - but you would have to apply lots of it and re-apply it to get enough protection.