How Far Will Some Go To Achieve a Sun Kissed Look?

One of the main reasons people identify summer as their favorite season is because of the sunny weather. A blue sky and sunshine is aesthetically pleasing to the eye and absorbing some vitamin D is a plus as well, but many people anticipate the sunshine for a summery bronzed look. Especially in places such as the Pacific Northwest where summers are short and sunshine is scarce, people resort to tanning beds and self-tanners for that sun kissed skin tone. Both of these methods can have very harmful effects, although creams are the safer alternative of the two. Tanning beds increase people's risk of melanoma and skin cancer and the artificial UV radiation does not help people absorb any vitamin D. When people use tanning beds, they expose themselves to these harmful ultraviolet rays which are extra strong in comparison to UV rays from the sun because there is a limited time of around ten minutes that one is allowed to be in a tanning bed. Another downside of these beds and other artificial tanning methods offered at tanning salons is the sanitation. There is no way of knowing for sure how well the bed was cleaned before the next person entered. This poses many risks such as skin rashes and irritation. Skin contact with an unsanitary surface along with artificial UV rays will even more seriously irritate the skin. UV radiation has also been found to cause DNA damage which leads to carcinogens. 

Although skin cancer is easier to fight in comparison to cancer of major organs, it should still be taken seriously. People should take the same preventative measures to protect themselves from skin cancer as they do to reduce their chances of other types of cancer. The risk here is far greater than the "reward" of temporary tanned skin. Tans will fade, but once diagnosed with skin cancer, there will always be a fight.