2008 Woodie Awards
In Good Health
Holly Peek
Health Columnist
Issue date: 3/5/07 Section: Lifestyles
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Spring Break is fast approaching, and college students all over the country are flocking to the beach to enjoy the warm, sunny weather. With this upcoming swimsuit season, tanning salons are busier than ever.
Research from the American Academy of Dermatology finds that 92 percent of Americans realize the dangers of indoor tanning, yet 3.8 million people use indoor tanning booths every day. With today's obsession with bronzed bodies, most people simply ignore health warnings because they do not understand the extent of the health risks involved.
Research shows that one in three cancer cases is skin cancer, making it the most common type in the United States. Even more alarming is that while cancer rates in the United States are generally declining, the rate of skin cancer is increasing each year due to increased exposure to tanning beds and sunlamps. What has traditionally been a cancer affecting adults over the age of 60, skin cancer is now being found more often in adults in their 20s and 30s due to increased use of tanning beds.
Tanning beds expose the skin to dangerous Ultraviolet (UV) radiation, much like the sun. However, indoor tanning facilities release two to three times stronger UV rays than natural sunlight, increasing the danger for advanced skin damage.
Some of the long-term skin damages caused by UV light are immune system changes, wrinkles and skin cancers. The UV rays can penetrate so deeply that they weaken the skin's inner connective tissue, cause collagen loss and decrease the number of blood vessels. The use of tan accelerating products make skin damage even worse by causing the skin to be more transparent to UV light, allowing the rays to penetrate deeper into the skin.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that last year there were nearly 1,800 hospital emergency visits for treatments of injuries caused by tanning beds. Most of these injuries were to the eye, particularly the cornea. Although tanning bed customers are required to wear protective goggles while tanning, most patrons do not adhere to the rules. Even with the eyelids closed, UV rays can still reach the eye and burn the cornea, sometimes causing permanent eye damage. According to doctors, cataracts have also been linked to tanning bed use.
Research from the American Academy of Dermatology finds that 92 percent of Americans realize the dangers of indoor tanning, yet 3.8 million people use indoor tanning booths every day. With today's obsession with bronzed bodies, most people simply ignore health warnings because they do not understand the extent of the health risks involved.
Research shows that one in three cancer cases is skin cancer, making it the most common type in the United States. Even more alarming is that while cancer rates in the United States are generally declining, the rate of skin cancer is increasing each year due to increased exposure to tanning beds and sunlamps. What has traditionally been a cancer affecting adults over the age of 60, skin cancer is now being found more often in adults in their 20s and 30s due to increased use of tanning beds.
Tanning beds expose the skin to dangerous Ultraviolet (UV) radiation, much like the sun. However, indoor tanning facilities release two to three times stronger UV rays than natural sunlight, increasing the danger for advanced skin damage.
Some of the long-term skin damages caused by UV light are immune system changes, wrinkles and skin cancers. The UV rays can penetrate so deeply that they weaken the skin's inner connective tissue, cause collagen loss and decrease the number of blood vessels. The use of tan accelerating products make skin damage even worse by causing the skin to be more transparent to UV light, allowing the rays to penetrate deeper into the skin.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that last year there were nearly 1,800 hospital emergency visits for treatments of injuries caused by tanning beds. Most of these injuries were to the eye, particularly the cornea. Although tanning bed customers are required to wear protective goggles while tanning, most patrons do not adhere to the rules. Even with the eyelids closed, UV rays can still reach the eye and burn the cornea, sometimes causing permanent eye damage. According to doctors, cataracts have also been linked to tanning bed use.
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