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Is There Such a Thing as a Healthy Tan?

By HERWriter
 
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Can You Really Have a Healthy Tan? Alena Ozerova/PhotoSpin

You probably have heard about getting a “base” tan or getting a bit of a tan to prevent you from getting sunburn later. Is there such a thing as a healthy tan?

According to the American Skin Association, there is no such thing as a healthy tan. “Tanned skin will forever contain cells whose genetic structures have been permanently damaged by the sun.”

This DNA damage to the skin cells can lead to skin cancer.

Dr. Francesca Fusco, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York City adds in the New York Times, that regardless of the source of the UV light, e.g., tanning beds or actual sunshine, there is no protection from getting a “base” tan.

In addition, self-tanning solutions do not give you any type of protection against harmful UV radiation rays.

There are two types of UV rays. UVA rays are longer, and penetrate more deeply into the skin, affecting the collagen and elastin that support the skin’s structure.

Damage to these cells can lead to wrinkles, sagging of the skin, and dilation of small capillaries, causing redness and spider veins to form. UVA damage can also contribute to skin cancer.

UVB rays are shorter. They can directly damage the genetic material in the skin’s cells and can affect the immune system so that the skin is less able to repair itself.

UVB rays cause melanocytes to produce melanin as an attempt at protection from the sun, which cause freckling and brown age spots to occur. UVB rays can lead to skin cancer — specifically melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer — as well as non-melanoma skin cancers.

Indoor tanning has become a popular activity due to encouragement from the indoor tanning industry. There is a lot of discussion on both sides of the indoor tanning debate about whether getting a tan from a tanning bed is harmful or not.

The evidence points to harm from indoor tanning, as discussed in a Medscape article (4) :

The International Agency for Research on Cancer reviewed 19 studies about artificial tanning. Seven studies focused on melanoma in relation to the age that a person began indoor tanning.

Those studies found “a 75% higher risk among people who had ever tanned indoors before age 35 compared with those who never tanned indoors.”

Researchers admit that there may be something else that makes young people more susceptible to getting melanoma, but numerous other studies support the idea that indoor tanning presents an increased risk of developing skin cancer.

Cancer risk from indoor tanning is thought to be due more to the incidence of burns. Unfortunately, enforcement of the proper use of indoor tanning beds is left to the states and the individual salons.

John Overstreet, executive director at the Indoor Tanning Association in Washington, D.C., admits that in states with lax oversight, customers may be "permitted to administer to themselves any amount of UV exposure they want, [and] they will often keep the UV exposure going until they 'get some color' in their skin, at which point they have already burned themselves."

WebMD refers to the fact that some people often voice a concern that they are not going to get enough vitamin D if they do not spend time in the sun. However, it only takes 2 to 10 minutes of sun exposure a day for your body to make its needed vitamin D.

In general, people are not that careful putting on sunscreen, and they typically do not put on enough. They are even less vigilant about reapplying it every two hours, so it is likely that they are getting a dose of vitamin D fairly often.

Ultimately, if vitamin D is low, it can be boosted more safely using supplements or food fortified with vitamin D than with sun exposure, says Brandith Irwin, MD, a Seattle dermatologist and spokeswoman for the American Academy of Dermatology.

So don’t forget. Continue using sunscreen of at least a SPF of 15, avoiding sun during the most dangerous times of the day between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and wearing protective clothing when you are out in the sun during sunniest times of the day.

Sources:

1) Is There Such a Thing as a Healthy Tan? New York Times. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
http://consults.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/03/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-...

2) Sun Safety. American Skin Association. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
http://www.americanskin.org/resource/safety.php

3) Tanning Myths: What's True, What's Hype? Retrieved July 12, 2015.
http://www.webmd.com/beauty/sun/tanning-myths-whats-true-whats-hype

4) UV Radiation and Skin Cancer: The Science Behind Age Restrictions for Tanning Beds. Medscape. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/768721_1

Michele is an R.N. freelance writer with a special interest in woman’s healthcare and quality of care issues.

Edited by Jody Smith

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Michele Blacksberg RN
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We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.