2008 Woodie Awards
Fake tanners risk burn, addiction
Jessica Woods
Issue date: 4/24/07 Section: News
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With short dresses and strappy sandals showcased in display windows, summer fashion makes it tempting for female consumers to believe a tan will complete the look of breezy, sexy summer flair. With the large number of indoor tanning beds in the area, Youngstown State University students should question just how far they're willing to go this summer to attain their bronzed statuses.
"It just makes me feel better about myself," junior Ashley
Osborn said about her use of tanning beds. "I can get up and put anything I want on, without having to worry about self-tanning. Because with that, you're like, 'okay, should I be orange and stripy or just pale'?"
The tanning bed industry earns more than $5 billion annually, according to the American Cancer Society. The ACS tries to perpetuate the idea that indoor tanning is safer because it is more "controlled" than getting sunburn.
Yet some medical professionals, like Los Angeles-based plastic surgeon and dermatologist Dr. Tran N. Nagasaki, want to disprove this theory that tanning beds are the safer option.
"Indoor tanning can actually be worse than outdoor tanning, because in some cases, 20 minutes of indoor UV exposure is equivalent to six hours in the sun," said Nagasaki.
According to the ACS, "exposure to tanning beds before the age of 35 increases the risk of melanoma by 75 percent."
Melanoma, the deadliest form of the three skin cancers, kills 20 people a day. The ACS reports that the other two types, Basal Cell Carcinoma and Squamous Cell, are not usually lethal but just as dangerous.
On an aesthetic level, tanning is responsible for fine lines, wrinkles, crow's feet, age spots, enlarged pores, oily skin and premature aging.
"I don't go tanning because so many people I know do it, and they seriously look, like, ten years older than they actually are," said senior Cortney Rivera. "I know girls in there 20s who have to use - and I mean, have to use - wrinkle creams and stuff. Their skin really does look like leather."
"It just makes me feel better about myself," junior Ashley
Osborn said about her use of tanning beds. "I can get up and put anything I want on, without having to worry about self-tanning. Because with that, you're like, 'okay, should I be orange and stripy or just pale'?"
The tanning bed industry earns more than $5 billion annually, according to the American Cancer Society. The ACS tries to perpetuate the idea that indoor tanning is safer because it is more "controlled" than getting sunburn.
Yet some medical professionals, like Los Angeles-based plastic surgeon and dermatologist Dr. Tran N. Nagasaki, want to disprove this theory that tanning beds are the safer option.
"Indoor tanning can actually be worse than outdoor tanning, because in some cases, 20 minutes of indoor UV exposure is equivalent to six hours in the sun," said Nagasaki.
According to the ACS, "exposure to tanning beds before the age of 35 increases the risk of melanoma by 75 percent."
Melanoma, the deadliest form of the three skin cancers, kills 20 people a day. The ACS reports that the other two types, Basal Cell Carcinoma and Squamous Cell, are not usually lethal but just as dangerous.
On an aesthetic level, tanning is responsible for fine lines, wrinkles, crow's feet, age spots, enlarged pores, oily skin and premature aging.
"I don't go tanning because so many people I know do it, and they seriously look, like, ten years older than they actually are," said senior Cortney Rivera. "I know girls in there 20s who have to use - and I mean, have to use - wrinkle creams and stuff. Their skin really does look like leather."
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Bridget
posted 4/25/07 @ 11:13 AM EST
I think more research is needed for this story. This story is one sided. Below are just a few research and sites which tells a different side. Please educate yourself. (Continued…)
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