Health Risks of Unsafe Tanning

Tanning has gone through a lot of methods through the years. You’d be surprised to hear that there is actually an unsafe method to it. Surprisingly, this particular method is the most common one, sunbathing. Through the years, we’ve become accustomed to sunbathing as one of the easiest ways to get a tan. Unfortunately, lying under the sun for hours on end to get the beautiful shade of brown is not worth the harm it can inflict upon you.

It’s been proven that consistent exposure to the sun’s UV rays has raised the chances of getting skin cancer. If that’s not alarming enough, melanoma, which is the deadliest form of skin cancer, is the most common form of skin cancer found from tanning individuals. Due to the harm that sunbathing can bring, it’s no surprise that many individuals have labeled it as an unsafe method of tanning.

Indoor tanning is no different. While one might think that using a tanning bed or a tanning shower is a lesser evil to sunbathing, that’s not true. At times, even these machines could cause more harm to you than sunbathing does. With indoor tanning, many of these machines make use of UVA and UVB which means you’re in for a very UV ray concentrated session each time. In addition, since you’re close to the contraption, you’re getting the radiation at full strength causing more harm to your body. If you’re not deterred by the damage it causes in the long run, tanned skin from tanning beds or tanning showers have shown to age prematurely as well as inhibit wrinkles. In fact, you can still get sunburns from indoor tanning despite the absence of the sun.

These methods have been studied through the years and with the UV rays becoming more prevalent, it’s not surprising that tanning through the most conventional ways has been labeled unsafe.

Thankfully, there’s still a way for you to get your tan without having to constantly risk yourself each tanning session. Self tanners have made a name for themselves in the tanning business. These topical applications do not require the aid of the sun, which coined their infamous name as fake tan. Despite that, self tanners can still give you the bronze hue while also providing your skin with nourishment. One particular downside to using them is how tedious they are compared to the two methods mentioned above. Self tanners have a higher chance of streaking, uneven tan; however, these are easily rectified with some cleansers and experience, respectively.

The choice now lies on the individual; would they make use of the easy, unsafe method or the meticulous but safer one?