Mid Brain muses: 
The Left Brain is always saying “Tan skin is unhealthy skin”. It’s really not the kind of thing you want to hear when you complain about your fading tan. Sure I’ve heard people say that it’s unhealthy but I remain skeptical. Where is your proof? If we weren’t supposed to have tan skin, then why do we have this natural tanning reaction in our skin anyway?
The case against tanning
Well, here’s a bit of skin science I found that supports what the Left Brain was saying. In research being published in the October issue of Pigment Cell and Melanoma Research (yes there’s a scientific journal for everything) scientists claim that tanning and skin cancer have the same cause, UV damage to DNA.
They say that UV radiation is the most avoidable, known cause of cancer. And they go on to chastise the indoor tanning industry’s efforts to confuse people about the dangers of UV radiation. Just go read some of the comments of people defending indoor tanning in this previous post. They also call for a ban on tanning beds for people under the age of 18. According to published data, there is a suggestion that indoor tanning is linked to an increase in melanoma risk.
For more information, you can go read the full UV articles yourself.
And as a bonus, you can even listed to a podcast interview with one of the lead researchers, Dr. David E Fisher.
The Beauty Brains bottom line
Laying out in the sun or on tanning beds is not safe. It might take some time but you’re significantly increasing your chance of developing skin cancer not to mention the wrinkled, saggy skin you’ll get when you’re older. Sure, it’s nice to have some color, but you’re better off getting it from self tanners. The technology has improved immensely and the risks are significantly lower than UV baking.
What do YOU think? Do you, or people you know, still use tanning beds? Leave a comment for the rest of the Beauty Brains community.
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
If we weren’t supposed to have tan skin, then why do we have this natural tanning reaction in our skin anyway?
That’s like saying that since our bones knit anyway, we were meant to break our arms all the time.
The body attempts to safeguard itself from damage and heal itself when it’s ill. That doesn’t mean damage and illness aren’t damage and illness …
Oh boy, that sunscreen industry will have you people wearing their goop in the moonlight soon won’t they?
Some good ready can be found over here: http://www.uvtalk.com
Oh cool, a website filled with salon owners and tanning enthusiasts. Must be a great place to find unbiased and credible information.
Liz, I actually LOL’ed when I read your comment.
I would have just written “LOL” but it has lost it’s effectiveness.
To be honest, I think there is a lot of rubbish talked about the sun. Our bodies are not quite so weak and feeble as the scaremongers would have us believe. That said, it’s possible that getting too little exposure to sunlight (not tanning beds) could be harmful to health in terms of raising cancer risk. Check out my How to Sunbathe Safely which discusses the whys and hows.
As someone who is a PhD level research scientist I am always dismayed and disappointed when the hard work I and my peers invest in enhancing the health of others is ignored or ridiculed. Keeping an open mind is a great thing, but please consider that these warnings are issued by scientists and physicians to help people live longer and healthier lives, and that were are not in any way trying to scaremonger or distribute baseless bits of nonsense. Something to consider: when scientists culture cells, a common technique in the biologic sciences, the area in which they work has to be free of infectious microbes and bacteria. In order to cleanse the area it is illuminated with a UV light source for 15 minutes, a length of time sufficient for lethally damaging the DNA of intruding bacteria. While it is true that humans are much more complex than bacteria and have sophisticated forms of DNA protection and repair, UV light is still a form of radiation and it can be damaging and even lethal to humans. If you think you need more Vitamin D you may want to consider buying some Centrum, but please don’t skimp on the sunscreen when outdoors and please stay away from tanning beds!
http://www.theage.com.au/national/solariums-give-281-aussies-melanoma-every-year-report-20081005-4u5i.html
im 13 and my mom’s mad strict but she lets me qo tannin. wanna know why? because its S A F E . if it wasnt safe the qoverment wouldnt let us qo. qoin o.d. like 3x a week is not that qood but once or twice a week is just fine. just lay off bout the cancer. its annoyinq. b.c. hardly any ppl qet cancer from the tannin beds so stfu; ya dig (=
@taylor- hopefully when you get older and more open minded, you’ll look at the scientific evidence and make your decision based on that. The government lets people smoke too. That doesn’t make either one healthy & safe.
Your article was quite intriguing and the information quite useful. Will check your site often to see other great posts you make! Regards
Can you provide more information on this?
Thank you,