What You Should Know: Tanning Beds and UV rays

If you know me at all, you know I am a HUGE supporter of Sun safety. As a result, I myself am quite pale (which I am okay with). I have very fair skin which is very prone to burning, so I always take precautions when out in the sun.

This has planted the seed for my hatred of tanning beds. That is putting it mildly. People are putting themselves in danger when there are many sunless tanning options! But the worst part is, salons are passing this off as a HEALTHY way to tan!

The only way to prevent that is to spread the truth. So here's a quick lesson about UV rays and tanning beds:

In natural sunlight, there are 3 types of UV rays: UVA, the long rays which penetrate deep into your skin and give you that golden tan, UVB, the short waves responsible for redness and any sunburns that may occur, and UVC, which doesn't penetrate our atmosphere (which is good because it would kill us all). In natural sunlight the amount UVA is much greater than UVB, but in such a way that they still naturally fight against each other. This means each UV ray is cancelling out some of the worse effects of the other. Interestingly enough, in natural sunlight UVB is more likely to cause skin cancer than UVA.

Here's the killer part. In tanning beds, you have an major overabundance of UVA and very minimal UVB to counter any of its effects (to lessen the chances of burning, but still get that tan). In fact, tanning beds emit up to 12 times more UVA than the Sun! As a result, the natural balance is thrown off and effects of the UVA become much more damaging. UVA penetrates deep into the dermis, which damages collagen and elastin which causing wrinkles and premature aging, causes sunspots and the dreaded Big C. The high quantities of UVA in tanning beds is also why those who frequent them are even MORE likely to get skin cancer than those who tan outside (which is STILL dangerous, by the way).

SAFE SUN TIPS:

- Wear sunscreen: Find one that blocks UVA and UVB with a decent SPF. Reapply when you spend    prolonged amounts of time outside or if you sweat or go swimming.
- Cover up: Its hard to do when it's hot, I know! Try a light cardigan and a hat.
- Sunless tanner: If you simply need that glow, try a spray tan or a sunless tanner!
- Limit sun exposure: Especially when the UV Index is high. UV rays are strongest between 10am        and 2pm.
- Drink lots of water: Or any cool beverage to stay hydrated. Avoid alcohol.
- Wear sunglasses: You can burn your eyeballs! Gross, but true.