Know The Dangers Of Tanning Beds

For many of us how we feel sexy and beautiful with a tan and yes there are many benefits to getting a tan but you also need to know the dangers of tanning beds.

First let’s start with a little history on the art of getting a sun tan. For 500 years the human race has worshipped the sun. It has always held special powers for us. After all it helps grow our food, keeps us warm, and energizes or planet. People hunted and worked in the fields and the sun turned their skin a deep dark brown.

Over time society became more developed and more structured. Classes began to develop from the pheasant to the wealthy land owner to royalty. The skin became the visible identifier between classes. Those that has pale skin belonged to the upper class while those that had tanned skin belonged to the working class for they were the people who spent their days in the fields.

Porcelain white skin was very important to upper class women. Thus they went to great lengths to make sure they had no color to their skin. They would never go outdoors without carrying a parasol that would protect them from the sun and if there skin took on any color they would use dangerous chemicals to paint their skin.

But society grew and developed and by the 20th century having a tan wasn’t only acceptable it was considered sexy and fashionable, thanks to the French. Suddenly women were flocking to the beach to get that beautiful tan and they would even use cosmetics that darkened the skin. The wealthy class were now separated from the working class by those who had tans; after all it was the wealthy that could afford to get away to a tropical winter destination.

Sun worshipping had now become somewhat of a cult with members everywhere. However skin cancer rates had begun and thus sunscreen hit the market during the 1970s in an effort to protect sun worshippers from these deadly consequences.

By 1988 the scientific world had decided that although sunscreen helped protect the skin you could still be at risk and there was no safe way to tan. So once again industry responded with the development of the tanning bed which claimed to be much safer than the sun.

It didn’t take long for indoor tanning beds to take hold. In fact they became the most “in” thing to do in years and suddenly everyone was heading to the salon instead of the bead. But wait! Studies have now shown that tanning beds also have health risks associated with them.

So what are those risks?

Skin cancer is the number one concern. As the use of tanning beds increase so do skin cancer rates. Especially of concern is the deadly melanoma. This year in the United State there will be more than 1 million new skin cancer cases diagnosed and 95% of those cases will be caused by UV rays.

Tanning is also responsible for skin damage that results in premature aging, wrinkles, age spots, and leathery skin is a result of too much exposure to the UV rays. Always use sunscreen and plenty of moisturizer.

Eye damage is another concern. It is important that protective goggles are always worn or the retina can be damaged.

If you are on medication you should always consult your doctor as some medications are photosensitive. You should never use a tanning bed without consulting your doctor if you are pregnant.

As with everything in life common sense and moderation can go a long way to keep you safe and healthy. When you know the dangers of tanning beds you can do a better job of protecting yourself and still enjoy that beautiful golden tan!