Tanning Bed Dangers: What you need to know
Tanning bed dangers are something you need to be aware of, before jumping in for 12+ minutes on your first session! So many girls I know try to push the envelope on how long they can go and most don’t even care if they burn! This is not responsible tanning! Safe tanning to get golden brown is an activity that has been loved by many for decades now. Although you may see a lot of people enjoying the heat as they expose themselves under the warmth of the sun, you can’t deny that there are tanning bed dangers. It doesn’t really matter whether you are using the natural sun or going for sunless tanning, one thing’s for sure, either way there are dangers involved. So, here are the risks of the two major tanning methods that men and women take comfort in.
Spots And Cosmetic Problems Too much sun exposure also causes brown spots, which are also known as liver spots. Additionally, UVA and UVB could lead you to develop basal cell carcinoma, which also manifests as brown spots or flakes. It could be quite difficult to distinguish them from liver spots. Nevertheless, this type of cancer is not usually malignant. In fact, in most cases, it appears to be just a beauty problem rather than a serious condition.
All About Cancer Previously, UVB rays were the only ones that were thought to produce cancer. However, according to newer findings, the whole spectrum of ultraviolet rays actually contributes to the condition. Too much exposure from the rays could also cause melanoma. This is when a melanocyte cell is transformed to a cancer cell. A malignant type of melanoma usually comes from birth marks. For a very long time, it would remain small and at times unnoticed. However, it has the ability to spread. It could also develop rapidly and swiftly evolving into a much more serious condition. During the initial stages, it would look like an abnormally shaped and abnormally colored birthmark. Those that have been exposed to too much sunlight and often been sunburned in his/her early years are more prone to having the malignant type.
Tanning: A Risky Addiction Although a lot of people have the tendency to be addicted to tanning, what most people do not know is that public health professionals and dermatologists nowadays are actually concerned regarding the dangers that this activity presents. In particular, they are worried about tanning bed dangers from sun lamps, and the dangers of the sun’s ultraviolet radiation. Radiations Used When Tanning When sun tanning, it may seem that you are only being exposed to the sun itself. However, this is not the case. In reality, you are actually being exposed to those various types of sun rays that have different radiations. We discussed these earlier. Remember that there are basically 2 kinds of ultraviolet radiation that affect your skin. Namely: UVA and UVB. Both of these have long been associated with skin cancer and sunburn. Sun Spots Another tanning bed danger are sun spots. These are brown spots that develop on your skin. Sometimes they come out as small as freckles while there are times that they appear to be larger than that. These are also called liver spots. Generally, this kind of side effect appears when you are older. Also, Caucasians are more prone in developing this when tanning, compared to those that have a natural high dose of melanin in their skin pigment. Turning Dark—Extremely! Burning is another risk of sun tanning. If you do not watch your tanning habits, you might overdo your tan and get a burnt look rather than a healthy bronze. In terms of sunless tanning, there are pills being sold that are marketed saying that they could give you a tan. However, there is a big risk in taking these kinds of pills since most of the time, instead of giving you a bronze color; they actually give you a dark orange color. Also, these pills aren’t really designed to darken targeted spots of your body; it would darken your whole body, as in—everything! The effect would also be longer since the substance is already inside your body. It may stay in your system longer, especially if you have taken a significant number of pills already. Going back to your original color could definitely be a challenge for you! UVA Is Still Dangerous Additionally, tanning salons that promote sunless tanning methods market their service by saying their method is safe. They put special emphasis on the fact that their machines do not produce UVB rays but only UVA rays, which are said to be the ‘healthy’ UV rays. However, this is not true at all. Recent studies have shown that UVA rays also play a part in causing cancer. In fact, it plays a crucial role too since it is the one that has the ability to penetrate the skin deeper than UVB rays. While there will always be tanning bed dangers, there are many tanning benefits. By tanning responsibly and becoming informed you can enjoy the many benefits while minimizing if not eliminating tanning bed dangers.
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