Whenever I read an article about anti-tanning legislation on a local
news website, the “comments” section is filled with those opposed to such a
ban. They cite that government should
not dictate parental rights (yet we have age restrictions on cigarettes and
alcohol as well as many others). Some
mention that tanning beds provide valuable Vitamin D to a population that’s
seriously deficient (it doesn’t).
Whatever the argument, I typically write it off as the person being
misinformed. I sometimes offer up a
response, but I’ve also learned that once someone has an opinion, it’s pretty
difficult to change it.
However, there’s one misconception I see over and over that just floors
me. “Anti-tanners want to ban sunshine!” This couldn’t be farther from the truth. Sure, one can get an unhealthy dose of UV
radiation from the sunshine, but one needs to understand the difference between
exposure in a tanning bed versus exposure under the sun.
As you probably know, there are two types of UV rays emitted by the sun. UVA rays go deeper into the skin and
typically don’t burn. They cause the
inner skin to darken or tan. They also
cause the skin to age more quickly (UVA –UV Aging) and cause DNA damage. UVB affects the surface if the skin more and
causes sun burns (UVB – UV Burning).
Your body is an amazing thing.
When there is danger, it has a way of warning you. If you touch something that’s hot, your skin
feel s pain and you instantly pull away your hand. But what if you couldn’t feel that pain?
Imagine going to a dentist and you have your mouth numbed with Novocain. Before you leave, the dentist warns you not
to drink anything hot or to bite your lip.
He issues this warning because he knows that while you can’t feel the
pain, you can damage your lips or mouth.
Your body has a natural mechanism to protect itself from too much sun
exposure. When UVB rays from natural
sunshine start to burn the skin, the body announces that it’s time to seek
shade. Without those UVB rays, the body
has no way of detecting when it’s time to get out of the sun. That’s where the danger lays in tanning beds
versus sunshine.
There are no UVB rays in most tanning beds, so your body won’t get
burnt. However, the UVA rays still
penetrate your skin and cause serious damage.
In fact, the amount of UVA radiation from the bed may actually be many
times more intense than from natural sunlight!
When you leave the tanning salon, you won’t feel the pain or the burn,
but the damage will be there. It’s like
drinking scalding hot coffee with a numb mouth…you won’t feel the pain, but the
damage has taken place.
This is not to say that the sun is entirely safe, but this doesn’t mean
that we fear the sun and expect it to be shunned. What we do is respect the sun.
Those who have been adversely affected by the sun (whether it be from
melanoma or aged skin) have every right to fear the sun. But for many, they’ve learned to respect it rather
than fear it. They have learned that
it’s important to wear sunscreen when enjoying the sun’s warmth. They know it’s best to seek shade between
10AM and 4PM when the sun’s rays are at their strongest. They know that wearing a hat provides
additional protection. Believe it or
not, they enjoy the sun very much. They embrace
the sun. They also know the limits in
which to enjoy and learned to respect it.
So are those opposed to tanning in beds also opposed to the sun? No. In
fact, we encourage you to enjoy the sun, but to be safe within in. Just realize that a tanning bed offers much
different dangers from the sun and they should indeed be avoided. Tanning
beds are NOT the sun…not at all.
Sources: American Cancer Society, Skin Cancer Foundation, Melanoma Research Foundation, and plain ol' common sense!
