I will be the first to admit that I have used tanning beds frequently since the age of 15, have tanned extensively out in the sun, and have not cared if I got a little burnt or a little too dark. In fact, that's what I wanted.
In our culture, to be pale is to be less than ideal. Everyone wants that glow, and as someone who can acquire a dark tan quite easily and naturally, I never thought much about it. I admit that I DO feel better when I am golden, rather than when I am pale. I like how I look, and so does every other girl out there.
But there are real dangers to getting that golden glow.
We see the laws passed in each state regarding indoor tanning regulations, and we don't think much about it. We see it as a nuisance to have to have our parents sign on the dotted line so that we can tan.
We hear stories about the rise in the number of girls in their teens and twenties getting skin cancer and we brush it off. We may feel remorse for doing it once or twice, but that won't kill us, right?
We hear doctors saying that it's so bad for us. But they say that about a lot of things, right?
Tanning beds are classified as a carcinogen to humans. The same classification as smoking a cigarette. Our generation has the lowest number of smokers in recent history. We are cutting out cigarettes because we know how bad they are for us, so why is it so hard to cut out tanning beds?
(source)
It's hard because our society deems what is beautiful and what is not. Society and social media has created an image of that beautiful glowing model on the beach with a killer dark tan.
You see, I too thought that I was immune to the health risks that came along with "looking my best." That was until I read an article on Cosmo online that had me rethinking all of my decisions regarding the sun and my skin. It is the story of a girl, very similar to me and to you. She passed away from melanoma at only 26 years old. Her life was cut way too short.
This article left me thinking about how we go to the gym. We try to eat clean, but yet we go to the tanning salons? I focus so much on my health, and I know most of our generation does too, but why are we putting ourselves in tanning beds if we know the potential cost to our health?
Here are some facts and statistics released by the FDA on their website:
“In July 2009, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization, concluded that tanning devices that emit UV radiation is more dangerous than previously thought. IARC moved these devices into the highest cancer risk category: carcinogenic to humans." Previously, it had categorized the devices as “probably carcinogenic to humans."
The IARC's conclusions and recommendations were based on its 2006 review of 19 studies conducted over 25 years on the use of indoor tanning equipment. The review found evidence of:
- Both UVA and UVB rays causing DNA damage, which can lead to skin cancer in laboratory animals and humans.
- The risk of melanoma of the skin increasing by 75 percent when tanning bed use started before age 35.
We know the facts and we know the statistics, but it won't mean anything if we don't see change happening. This change has to start with us.
Legislators can make any laws they want and doctors can say anything they want, but it won't mean anything without the action that we take upon ourselves.
I have a week left on my monthly tanning package, and I will not be returning to finish it out. My lifelong goal is to never put myself in a tanning bed again. Make that your goal too. I love having that golden color, but it is not worth my life.
In the past, I have had a mole biopsied for skin cancer, and I was scared out of my mind at the possibility that it could be cancer. I am going to get a skin cancer screening again when I return home for summer.
Please, spread the word and help educate your friends and your sisters. Go with them and you can both get screened. It is so important that you are proactive, because if caught early enough skin cancer is easily survivable.
Stand up. Speak up. Be strong. Say no.
Say no and help those around you say no too. There are so many other options for looking tan all year long.
After this summer, I will be spray tanning at home instead of buying indoor tanning packages; there are so many alternatives.
Do it with me. Let's do it together. Just say no to that indoor-artificial glow.
(For more information: http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/skin/basic_info/indoor_tanning.htm)
