Ok so something keeps coming up and irking me! I had to do a little soapbox post. I thought I had vented it all out to Kami but it came back around today and I wanted to reach through the TV to smack someone. I am so sick of hearing people continuing to justify tanning beds' acceptance. In the last couple of weeks I have heard someone, practicing alternative medicine, actually suggest to a friend that they go to a tanning bed to lift their mood in the winter. How can you be helping someone get healthy by turning around and suggesting they get cancer? Come on. So I vented to Kami that I can't believe it. THEN I see on a morning show that the first host is in Hawaii. The third host says "you're going to look so tan next to us." Well the first host explains she's been sunscreening up and will still be white. Good for her. The second host (with whom I have many a problem) says "you should just let yourself get burned a little." COOOOOME OOOOOON!!!! You're on TV! You're saying it's ok to get sun damage (which causes wrinkles, cancer, and pain) on TV! What an ignorant comment.
Let me explain my passionate feelings before you get your panties in a bunch all you tanners. I have done plenty of tanning in tanning beds in my days. Mostly in my younger days when I bought that it wasn't that bad. When it was easy for me to deny that something like cancer could happen to me. I'm a huge fan of a nice, natural looking tan. However, I think the scientific evidence is pretty telling when you see that skin cancer is the most common form of cancer and that the risks of skin cancer are multiplied exponentially by use of tanning beds. I read and and see information on TV constantly dispelling rumors that certain types of tanning beds are actually safe, etc. etc. Who do I believe? A dermatologist or the orange 16 year old behind the tanning bed counter? Hmmm... With the inundation of information these days, I have to admit that the risk is very REAL and not worth it. Cancer is no fun for anyone.
Here's the thing, there are safe ways get a tan these days! Spray tanning has advanced a ton. If you're going to regularly spend money getting tan, may as well do it safely right? And nowadays they have more and more natural looking options. Also, it's surely not safe but a little bit of regular old plain sunshine when you're outside being active in the summer is better than that concentrated bed. Tanning lines! So what? It shows that you're active in my opinion. Ain't nothing wrong with it. Even better though is to keep your sunscreen on in the summer and make sure you don't burn at all. So many people see burns as a good thing and they're damage. You don't say yay I burned my finger on my curling iron, but it's the same level of burn.
The other reason for sunscreen is wrinkles! How many 25 year olds do I see these days who look like they're closer to 35? Tons! And it's because their skin prematurely ages due to all the tanning. They look like pieces of leather. Plus, you can totally tell when someone tans in a bed frequently. They get that weird tone of tan that stops looking natural and starts looking gross. So for me, I like my moisturizer with sunscreen built in and my huge sunglasses that will keep me from getting the "squint at the sun" crows feet. Raccoon eyes are my badge of pride. They may be white, but they keep me looking young.
I can see how easy denial was back in the days before transparent data about skin damage was so prevelent. Now, though, I don't think there's any excuse to deny that it's dangerous. I say if you want to tan in a bed, that's your deal. I'm totally cool with it. As long as you aren't doing it under some delusion of saftey. Make an educated decision taking into consideration the risks. If someone tells me, it's worth the risk, then more power to them. But if someone tells me oh it's not that bad or that they're using the bed with the "safe" UV rays, I want to ask them to go ahead and take the same risk by walking across State Street without looking. I know it's dramatic but I am just sick of the ignorance justifying the stupid. Make your choice based on facts so that you can truley stand behind it.
