People are generally concerned about the way they look. It seems to be human nature as it goes way back in time. It is widely accepted that a thin woman or a nicely built man with bronze colored skin is attractive; therefore people have a desire to meet that by tanning. The media has a tremendous effect on woman and young teens on how a woman or teen should look. Women tend to take on this pressure and try to meet it. Many white women are using tanning solutions to get a darker skin tone without thinking about the possible consequences.

There are benefits to using a tanning bed instead of the sun for a tan, but there are also disadvantages. A tan is actually what happens to the skin when it is damaged, but this is just a short-term effect. The long-term effects should also be considered when tanning.

Dangers Associated With Tanning

UV radiation is dangerous. This is ultraviolet light that comes from the sun and tanning bed lamps. The sun gives off two different kinds of ultraviolet light known as UVA and UVB. UVA radiation is generally the more dangerous UV light because it penetrates the skin with a much deeper effect and tans the skin faster than UVB light. UVA light have longer wavelengths and too much exposure over a long period of time can be extremely dangerous. UVB wavelengths are shorter and only affect the outermost layers of the skin. Skin damage occurs when one has been overexposed to UVA lights. This UV radiation can cause skin cancer and other skin problems. You will burn faster under UVA lights, which are in tanning beds because it takes less time to get a tan. The sun lamps in tanning beds give off anywhere from 93% to 99% of UVA lights, which is actually about three times that of which the sun gives off.

You should tan in moderation and take every precaution when tanning. The more sunburns you have, the more likely you are to get skin cancer. The more exposure you have to UVA radiation, the more likely you are to get skin cancer. There are also some things you were born with that pose a risk for skin cancer (red hair, fair skin, moles, etc.) that you don’t have much control over. However, you do have control over how much exposure you have with UVA lights, and you should use the precautions necessary. Having a year round tan isn’t worth getting skin cancer over.

Most tanning beds today fortunately have less UVA lights, and omit both UVA and UVB. This means less exposure to bad rays and a better moderation. Some salons also have limits on how long you can stay in the tanning bed to help moderate the way people tan. This can be much more safe for you rather than hanging out at the beach all day!