In this day and age, beauty is an important aspect of one’s life. There are many different ways that people choose to achieve their ideal level of beauty. For instance, some people are willing to undergo cosmetic surgeries — liposuction, rhinoplasties — to achieve the level of beauty that they desire. One of the most popular types of self-beautification is the process of indoor tanning. Indoor tanning is a less drastic option in comparison to cosmetic surgeries. When it comes to indoor tanning, there is a plethora of positive aspects, such as it being beneficial for certain skin conditions. Although the use of tanning beds has become a popular hobby for a vast majority of today’s society, there are still risks. When you expose yourself to these harmful rays it is necessary to take into consideration the possible health complications, the premature aging of your skin, and the high cost of this lifestyle.

When it comes to indoor tanning there are two different ways of going about this: spray tanning and tanning beds. Spray tanning is exactly what it sounds like... a spray-on tan, however, a spray tan will only last for around ten days. On the other hand, tanning beds are a more basic way of tanning. It is a process in which you lay down in a bed with ultraviolet radiation bulbs that resemble the rays you are exposed to from the sun. When I conducted a survey among one hundred people, one-third of them admitted to actively using tanning beds. Of these one hundred people, half of them were college aged students who admitted to using tanning beds in order to maintain a natural glow.

Although it is appealing to maintain what seems to be a natural glow year round, people are not always aware of the dangers that go along with indoor tanning. When tanning in a tanning bed you are subjecting yourself to ultraviolet radiation. UV radiation is a proven human carcinogen, something capable of causing cancer. The radiation from inside the tanning beds is similar to the radiation from the sun. However, it is much stronger than the sun, making it more dangerous to use a tanning bed than tanning outdoors. This radiation may make you look tan and feel better about yourself, but at what point does looking good take priority over your health and safety? When you expose your skin to tanning beds you are putting yourself at risk for developing melanoma. Melanoma is a form of skin cancer and is known to be one of the deadliest types of cancer. According to skincancer.org, people who first use tanning beds prior to the age of 35 increase their chances of developing melanoma up to 75 percent. Aside from the development of skin cancer, indoor tanning has also been proven to cause eye damage. Legally, tanning salons are required to force their customers to purchase protective eyewear. Most salons even make you show them your goggles prior to entering the bed. However, they have no control over whether or not their customers chose to follow these rules once they are alone in the bed.The exposure to UV radiation can cause irreversible damage to your eyes. Cataracts, corneal damage, and macular degeneration are commonly formed from lack of eye protection when indoor tanning. Most people would agree that wearing this goggles is a simple solution to prevent permanent damage to your eyes. Shockingly, there are a number of people who refuse to wear their eye protection, due to the fear of a strange tan line. At that point, you are forced to ask yourself which is more important: your eyes or getting a weird tan line. Indoor tanning has also been known to cause allergic reactions. People with sensitive skin are more likely to have an allergic reaction to the tanning lotion that is commonly used, due to the chemical formula. This may not seem like a key reason to stop tanning but it is yet another health complication from indoor tanning. Lastly, several studies conducted by the Central Disease Control (CDC) show that ultraviolet radiation can damage one's immune system. This is when an antigen, such as a bacterium, is available in the skin these cells phagocytose and handle the antigen. It is then exhibited on cell surface receptors, therefore causing T cells to function improperly, which lowers the immune system. Overall, indoor tanning is not necessarily a process of beautification, it is a dangerous process which is easily detrimental to your health.

In addition to subjecting yourself to health complications, you are also putting your skin at risk for premature aging. When it comes to exposing your skin to ultraviolet rays you may begin to wrinkle at a young age. The process of aging is accelerated every time someone steps into a tanning bed. Eventually, your skin will develop a leathery look due to the excessive exposure to ultraviolet rays. Whether you choose to tan in a tanning bed or outside in the sun, it is inevitable that your skin is going to lose elasticity. With that being said, the recent growth of the use of tanning beds has caused tanning lotion companies to begin developing a supposed “anti-aging prevention” lotion. This lotion is supposed to form to your skin, helping with the preservation of your skin cells. Although this lotion is being created there is no real way to prevent the premature aging, other than to limit exposure to the sun and UV rays. It is simply ironic that while attempting to create a more beautiful self every person that uses tanning beds is actually creating a more unattractive leathery look.

Furthermore, indoor tanning can be quite costly, on average tanning packages range from $20-$80 a month. Aside from having to pay for a monthly membership you also need to pay for lotion and eye protection. Although the eye protection is very inexpensive and costs a maximum of $5, the lotion, on the other hand, is mildly expensive. For example, one of the most popular tanning lotions is produced by the Kardashian’s. For a 13.5 ounce bottle of “Kardashian Glow” it costs around $50, however, one 13.5 ounce bottle can last up to three months. Aside from that, the people who work at tanning salons often try and pressure customers into upgrading their tanning package to a more expensive plan or purchasing the “newest and best-tanning lotion.” It is not just tanning beds that are expensive, but spray tanning is as well. A single spray tan usually costs around $30, but when it comes to spray tanning the tanning consultants always try to convince you that you need more. Accelerators, scents, and mystifies are all examples of spray tan add-ons which cause the price of a spray tan to increase. As a whole indoor tanning is a costly process that is not always worth it, without even remembering the negative effects on your skin.

On the contrary to indoor causing harm to you and your body, it actually does have benefits to it, as well. With all the damage and destruction it causes to your skin and health it almost seems like an oxymoron to say that tanning beds have been proven to help treat underlying health conditions. To start off, ultraviolet radiation provides a source of vitamin D. Vitamin D helps to protect against diseases and conditions such as Type 1 diabetes and Multiple Sclerosis. Furthermore, vitamin D could be your ticket to a good mood. This sunshine vitamin does not just go and help protect your body from disease, but it is also known to treat depression. It is known as today’s “happy pill.” Besides boosting your mood and making you an all around happier person, ultraviolet radiation has been prescribed to patients with severe eczema and acne. I myself have personally used tanning beds to help improve my dermatological issues. Throughout my entire life, I have suffered from moderate to severe eczema. After years of not finding the proper treatment, my dermatologist finally suggested going into a tanning bed. At first, it seemed like the most hypocritical statement a dermatologist could make.

But it worked.

Unfortunately, that is not always the case. In many cases, tanning beds can cause patients with severe eczema to make their condition worse. Therefore, it is not always the best solution for people to use tanning beds who suffer from underlying skin conditions. When it comes to helping underlying health conditions such as severe acne, eczema, and providing a good source of vitamin D, indoor tanning may be the right solution for you.

Overall, there are pros and cons to everything. Even though the use of tanning beds have been known to help treat underlying conditions there are also plenty of cons. For example, there are risks for complications to your health, putting your skin at risk for premature aging and not being very cost effective.