One of the most deadly trends has been sweeping the nation for years–tanning beds.
What many people know, and what many people appear not to care about, are the risks posed to their health and safety by tanning beds. People have deliberately chosen to ignore their doctors and as a result put their lives at risk just to look tanner.
The tanning bed, although a popular trend among teens and adults, is one of the top causes of skin cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 76,690 new cases of melanoma develop every year in the U.S. and about 9,480 deaths from the disease occur yearly. Evidently, using tanning beds can lead to such consequences.
There are many different alternatives to using tanning beds, for example, spray tanning. While spray tanning may be considered less detrimental than tanning beds, the chemicals used in spray tans potentially could lead to lung cancer. Thus, spray tans still carry a risk even though they are considered safer.
If you want to have a tanner appearance, you can check out Lisa Eldridge’s website for tips on using bronzer and other types of makeup. This is a much healthier alternative to tanning beds and spray tanning/self-tanner. Although you may not be able to wear makeup in water or cover your entire body in it, using makeup is still a much safer way to give you a tanner look.
The use of tanning beds is typically popular with teens before proms, Sweet 16’s, Cotillions, or any other form of celebration. Some adults who are getting married, typically women, desire to look “perfect” for their “big day,” so they use tanning beds. So is perfection worth more than your health?
There have also been cases where parents have actually requested that their children be allowed to use a tanning bed. However, you must be at least 18 to go without a parent/guardian and, depending on where you live, if you are under 18 you must have go with a parent.
Young women are typically the most common users of tanning beds. If someone is frequently exposed to UV rays and they are under the age of about 35, the risk of developing melanoma and/or other skin cancers or diseases increases. If you have fair skin or have a family history of melanoma or any other skin cancers, you are at more of a risk for developing skin cancer.
Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the U.S., and according to skincancer.org, 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer in the course of a lifetime. People are risking their health and their own lives to be beautiful. Isn’t it time people stop ignoring warnings before it’s too late?
