By Jessica Corbett, Editor
As summer tans begin to fade and complexions turn pale, students must seek sources besides frequent trips to the beach to meet their tanning needs.
However, the cost of tanning may be steeper than the dent it leaves in the wallets of tanners everywhere. Last month, the International Agency for Research on Cancer re-evaluated the cancer risk of tanning beds, placing it in the highest risk category, group 1, or definitely carcinogenic to humans. The study showed that, when use of tanning beds begins before age 30, the risk of developing the skin cancer melanoma increases by 75 percent.
“[Tanning] can cause wrinkles, sun spots and age spots,” dermatologist Melanie Zahner, of Aesthetic & Clinical Dermatology, said.
Frequent tanners are also at risk for developing “tanorexia,” an addiction to tanning and, especially, the use of tanning beds. The tanner feels better, believes they look better and their mood improves, which “can definitely be addicting,” Zahner said.
In some cases, though, students may feel the positives outweigh the negatives.
“It’s kind of scary [that tanning can cause cancer], but I don’t really think about it,” sophomore Brianna Brehm, who tans three or four times a week, said.
Tanning salons often encourage “safe” tanning habits for their customers.
“They tell you to put on protections, certain lotions,” senior Caitlin Larson, who works at a tanning salon, said.
No amount of tanning is truly safe, Zahner said.
“Society tells us that [people] look better and healthier with a tan, but this perception is flawed,” she said.
Some students have decided that the risk of skin cancer trumps the yearning for the golden glow only a tan can bring.
“I haven’t gone [tanning] in a while, [because] I heard bad things about it,” freshman Kayla Stasell said.
Tanning at a salon is more dangerous than lying out in the sun, Zahner said.
“It’s definitely worse to tan in a tanning bed because the rays in the tanning bed penetrate much deeper than rays in the sunlight, and are much more harmful, [but] laying out with the goal of being tan is not a smart choice, [either],” she said.
Students who decide to play it safe and slather on the sunscreen while outdoors aren’t necessarily condemning themselves to ghostly pallor. Zahner said that studies have shown both over-the-counter tanning lotions and spray tans are safe. Junior Aubrey Day, who tans about twice a week and works at a tanning salon, recommended Jergen’s Natural Glow because she has “had clients who said it’s good.”
Results from these products are heavily debated.
Freshman Taylor Velazquez “would recommend using an actual bed [because lotion] didn’t really work [for me].”
Just as results with different tanning methods will vary from person to person, so will the risks.
“Every person’s different,” Zahner said. “It all depends on skin types and genetics.”