During the summer, many teens choose to tan. Most people today understand that burning is dangerous to a person’s health because it can cause skin cancer and sun damage, but few know that tanning without burning is just as dangerous.
Melanin is a pigment that is produced when UVA rays hit melanocytes, causing a tan to form. When melanin is triggered, it does protect a person from the sun but not from the UVA rays. These rays go deep into the skin, to the dermis which is under the epidermis layer. These rays can cause skin cancer for anyone, even if they do not burn you. This is due to how far the rays go into the skin. The rays are strong enough to damage the immune system, which is critical for fighting off melanoma, a skin cancer caused by UVA rays.
“It’s a lot safer to get something like a spray tan instead of laying out in the sun. It takes so much less time and you don’t have to worry about getting burned,” said junior Sarah House.
UVB rays are emitted from the sun and can cause sunburns when a person has had too much exposure. These rays burn the upper layer of skin, called the epidermis. When a sunburn develops, the chance of getting skin cancer is increased. UVB rays can cause basal and squamous cell carcinoma.
It is important for young people, especially teenagers, to protect themselves from the sun’s harmful rays. Although skin cancer is slowly becoming less of a threat, melanoma reports are on the rise, mostly in young people. This is due to the use of tanning beds. Melanoma is a serious form of skin cancer that can lead to death.
According to TeensHealth, an online source, “In the past, melanoma mostly affected people in their fifties or older, but today dermatologists see patients in their twenties and even late teens with this type of cancer.”
Excessive time in the sun can lead to cataracts, a disease affecting the eyes, and premature skin aging. Cataracts disease can cause vision to seem cloudy or blurry and usually takes surgery to cure.
To prevent these harmful effects, use sun screen, especially during late spring and summer, that is at least SPF 15. The sun can be harmful even on cloudy days, so be prepared to reapply every two hours and take breaks from the sun. Wear a hat and sunglasses; they can provide 100 percent protection from UVA and UVB rays. Covering up is one of the easiest ways to protect yourself as well as staying in the shade.
Other methods of getting a tan, such as tanning beds and sun lamps are harmful to the skin because they produce UVA rays. One of the only safe ways to tan is a sunless self-tanner because it does not contain rays or radiation.
Thomas Rohrer, a dermatologist from Mass., said, “The only safe tan is the tan that comes out of a bottle.”
If you plan to get a more bronze look this summer, protect yourself as best as possible from the sun’s harmful rays. Even a base tan can have harmful effects on the body. Sun tanners are the best way to receive a darker skin pigment, and many can be found around $10 to $30.
