Our society associates a glowing tan with health, youth, and attractiveness. However, the plain truth is that a tan or sunburn is your body’s way of telling you that you’ve been exposed to too much ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Exposure to the sun’s UV rays causes skin cells (melanocytes) to darken your skin by producing more melanin (which makes your skin appear darker). The darkening process is actually your skin’s defense against more UV damage. While the tan will fade, the damage that occurs to your skin is long-lasting. This damage increases your risk for skin cancers such as melanoma as well as signs of premature aging with increased wrinkles.
Some people use tanning beds in the pursuit of a bronzed glow year-round. However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advises that we completely avoid artificial UV sources such as tanning beds. According to the FDA, the sunlamps in tanning beds may be more dangerous than the sun. Unlike the sun, which comes and goes depending on the weather, you can use tanning beds at the same intensity every day of the year. This increases exposure and health risk. On that same note, the United States Department of Health and Human Services and the World Health Organization’s International Agency of Research on Cancer panel have stated that UV radiation from the sun as well as artificial sources like tanning beds are a known carcinogen, which means that they may cause cancer.
