Spray Tan

bout once a week, 16-year-old Marsha walks form school to a tanning salon across the street. She used to like sunning at the beach, but stopped when her dad got skin cancer. “When I found out that my dad had cancer it made a huge impact on me whether or not to tan or not in the sun,” she says.

Skin cancer can be caused by years of UV damage from the sun. But indoor tanning beds are even more dangerous. “Those energy values are 10 to 15 times higher than the noon-day sun,” says dermatologist Kenneth Miller.

In fact Scandinavian researchers say they have the strongest evidence yet that salon tanning beds are dangerous. They found that tanning beds increase the risk of skin cancer in young women by about 150 percent over eight years.

Tanning beds are an easy way to get a tan, but they also can be very harmful. While the process helps to give a tan without the burn, it may concentrate cancer-causing radiation on the skin. The American Academy of Dermatology advises against using tanning beds due to concerns about skin cancer and premature skin aging. Also, the ultraviolet light from tanning beds may:

• Cause eye burns if protective eyewear is not used.
• Worsen some chronic conditions such as lupus and diabetes.
• Interact with some common medicines, such as naproxen, that can cause increased sensitivity to light. This may cause a severe sunburn-like reaction or, in extreme cases, death.

If the beds are not cleaned well between users, tanning beds also may help spread diseases, such as genital warts. In addition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report an estimated 700 emergency room visits per year related to tanning salon exposure.

Many people still relate suntanned skin with healthiness, but recent studies have shown otherwise. With the thinning of the ozone layer and increased ultraviolet light, exposure to the sun can be dangerous without proper protection. Ultraviolet rays damage skin cells, causing freckles, wrinkles, sunburn and even skin cancer, the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States. UVA rays, a type of ultraviolet light, penetrate the skin deeply and are primarily responsible for premature wrinkling, while UVB rays are responsible for sunburn and skin cancer.

Sunburns received during childhood greatly increase the risk of developing melanoma, the most serious kind of skin cancer, according to the American Melanoma Foundation. Approximately 80 percent of this harmful exposure is received before age 20, although much of this damage doesn’t show up until 20 or 30 years after the sun exposure. Here are some tips to help protect your child from damaging rays:

• Use sunscreen – Make sure your child wears a minimum SPF 15 sunscreen whenever he/she is outside. It takes as little as 15 minutes of sun exposure to harm the skin, so keep a bottle of sunscreen by the door so he/she will remember to reapply whenever he/she goes out. Use waterproof sunscreen if he/she is at the pool or beach.
• Cover up – Make sure your child wears protective clothing and hats when he/she is out in the sun. Choose light colors, which don’t absorb heat as much as dark colors, and loose-fitting clothing made from tightly woven fabric.
• Seek shade – When the sun’s really glaring, especially between the hours of 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., try to limit your child’s sun exposure. Suggest a fun indoor activity, like making lemonade, or invite your child and his/her friends to come inside the house.
• Protect the eyes – Wrap around sunglasses that block 100 percent of UVA and UVB light are best. Avoid mirrored sunglasses since they intensify the sun’s rays.
• Protect the lips – Lips can never tan, but they easily burn. Encourage your child to use protective lip balm every day and reapply it often.
• Ban the tan – There’s no such thing as a safe tan! Never allow your child to use tanning beds. If they would like the look of a tan, buy sunless tanning lotion. Or, if they want a rosy glow on their face, dust it with bronzing powder.
• Watch out – If you notice any freckles, moles or other skin spots that grow larger than a pencil eraser or change shape or color, take your child to a dermatologist. Potentially dangerous skin problems usually can be treated successfully if caught early enough.