The Chance of Skin Cancer when Using Tanning Beds

A wonderful golden tan helps enhance both our self-confidence and our attraction to the opposite sex. For many getting quality sun-time remains hard-work, so many people turn to tanning salons to use artificial sun-beds. The tanning salons a marvel of modernity offering high speed tans for the most time conscientious people. A wonderful tanned physique remains a delight for most people. However inherent dangers linger on that need consideration. Becoming aware of the risks enables you to offer yourself the best possible protection.

The CDC (Centres for Disease Control) has found use of sun-beds can contribute to conjunctivitis, corneal infections and retinal damage. Sun-beds have been shown to increase the chance of melanoma. Melanoma exists as a severe skin cancer, often considered the worst type of skin cancer. If caught early enough, the chances to defeat it remain good. However sun-bed use over 10 times a year has shown an active 800% increase in this form of cancer.

Tanning actually works by damaging your skin’s DNA though exposure to UV rays. Your body then sends enzymes out to repair the damage. However not all damage appears repairable and any remaining damage becomes susceptible to mutation into cancerous cells. With the increased dosage of UV from tanning beds this damage also increases, and so too the chance of developing cancer.

Natural sunlight consists of two types of UV light, UVA and UVB. The tanning effect’s caused by the UVA rays penetrating deeper into the skin creating a tan. UVB remains responsible for causing sunburn, as it focuses its energy on the top layer of skin (the epidermis). The claim from some tanning salons that their beds remain safe, as your body’s exposed to the tanning UVA rays rather than the harmful burning UVB rays, remains dubious. However the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other leading scientific bodies have discovered that exposure to UVA light appears responsible for skin cancer as much as exposure to UVB rays.

Traditional tanning beds usually give off three times more UVA rays than the sun. This dramatic increase in UVA rays may in fact lead to the conclusion that tanning beds remain actually far more dangerous than the sun. Reducing the chance of skin cancer seems less of a problem when using the sun to tan.
Be aware that you should only use a tanning bed for a few moments never exceeding the recommended duration. Wear suitable eye protection to reduce the chance of eye injury.

Often tanning bed salons promote a safer than the sun experience. Everybody wants to look their best yet putting your body in danger remains not the ideal way to achieve this goal. Consider your options and wherever possible limit your exposure to sun-beds to a few times a year.